Now@MPL

Famous pastime turns 100 today!

 Happy Birthday Crossword Puzzle!  Today we salute your ability to trick our minds, stretch our vocabulary, and help us stave off boredom.

Are you a pencil or a pen user?  Do you prefer the New York Times brain busters or People Magazine's pop culture run-down?  Puzzlers today have a plethora of choices, but it all began on December 21, 1913 when editor Arthur Wynne published a diamond shaped grid with numbered squares and clues in the New York World newspaper.  Read more about the history of Wynne's puzzle and how the New York Times editors reviled the puzzle as a "waste of time" in this wonderful article by the Washington Post.

East Library and all MPL branches can help you photocopy your puzzle of choice from one of our daily newspapers or help you find one of these gems that are available for checkout:

 

 

Find more exciting titles by searching crossword puzzle in CountyCat.

 

So, if you know the joy of filling in those little white squares, take a moment to wish your puzzle a happy birthday today. 

 

(Image derived from "Mental exercise cartoon," Daniel Mietchen, CC BY 2.5)