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The first crossword puzzle was published in the "New York World" newspaper on December 21, 1913. Today, there are many daily devotees of this word puzzle, including former president Bill Clinton, "American Idol" winner David Cook and comedian Jon Stewart. Learning how to solve crosswords involves a bit of patience and lots of... more »
When riding on public transport or sitting idly in a cafe, a crossword puzzle is an excellent way to pass the time. Although widespread now, the puzzles you know today have a relatively short history. more »
Crossword puzzles are excellent activities for people from children to the elderly. A May 1, 2008, article on AARP.org from Harvard Health Publications explains that exercising the brain keeps the mind and memory sharp, and activities such as completing crossword puzzles qualify as healthy mental exercise. Many students enjoy learning... more »
Word search puzzles are popular for all ages. For students, it is a skill builder. Teachers use word search puzzles to make learning entertaining. Online, word search generators have evolved. Just insert words, symbols or numbers, and clues, then enter. The word search generator randomly creates the puzzle. It is another handy tool... more »
Accomplishment isn't always measured in money and big corner offices. Something as simple as solving a difficult crossword puzzle can be equally as fulfilling. Actually, anyone who has solved a difficult crossword knows it is certainly not that simple. The task can be helped immensely by a few strategic steps geared to helping you... more »
Jigsaw puzzles come in many different sizes, styles, and levels of complexity. For those boring...
Crossword puzzles are not only great entertainment, they are also great learning tools because...
Word search puzzles consist of a large grid of jumbled letters that a player has to search...
Sudoku has taken the game playing word by storm with both print and video game incarnations...
One of the best things about toddlers and very young children is that they're easily and inexpensively entertained. The smallest things, such as... more »
Puzzles are a classic and very popular play item. Puzzles are not only fun to play with, they encourage problem solving and stimulate the mind.... more »
You love to take time to piece jigsaw puzzles together, but once you finish one you put the box in the pile with the rest of them and start a new... more »
Classic jigsaw puzzles are an ideal way to pass the time since they provide a fun challenge to keep your mind and hands occupied. But if you're... more »
Sudoku puzzles are grid-based number games that require logic and patience. Traditional puzzles allow you to place numbers 1 through 9 into... more »
A puzzle is a problem or enigma that tests the ingenuity of the solver. In a basic puzzle, one is intended to piece together objects (puzzle pieces) in a logical way in order to come up with the desired shape, picture or solution. Puzzles are often contrived as a form of entertainment, but they can also stem from serious mathematical or logistical problems — in such cases, their successful resolution can be a significant contribution to mathematical research.Kendall G., Parkes A. and Spoerer K. (2008) A Survey of NP-Complete Puzzles, International Computer Games Association Journal, 31(1), pp 13-34
Solutions to puzzles may require recognizing patterns and creating a particular order. People with a high inductive reasoning aptitude may be better at solving these puzzles than others. Puzzles based on the process of inquiry and discovery to complete may be solved faster by those with good deduction skills.
History
The first jigsaw puzzle was made around 1760, when John Spilsbury, a British engraver and mapmaker, mounted a map on a sheet of wood that he then sawed around each individual country. Spilsbury used the product to aid in teaching geography. After catching on with the wider public, this remained the primary use of jigsaw puzzles until about 1820.
By the early 20th century, magazines and newspapers found that they could increase their daily subscriptions by publishing A puzzle undone, which forms a [[cube.
Image:A Puzzle.JPG|Puzzle cube; a type of puzzle.
Image:Rubiks cube scrambled.jpg|An example of a British-style [[crossword puzzle.
Contemporary puzzles
A sample of notable puzzle authors includes Sam Loyd, Henry Dudeney, Boris Kordemsky and, more recently, David J. Bodycombe, Will Shortz and Martin Gardner.
There are organizations and events catering puzzle enthusiasts such as the International Puzzle Party, the World Puzzle Championship and the National Puzzlers League. There are also Puzzlehunts like read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puzzle
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