Today we wish a happy 100th birthday to that popular head-scratcher, the crossword puzzle. The first “word-cross puzzle” was published in the New York World exactly 100 years ago today by Arthur Wynne. I heard an interview with puzzlemaster Will Shortz on Q, and learned a few fun facts: for one, that the first book of crosswords was published by Simon & Schuster (in 1924)—and that it was actually the first book they published.
NPR has a special 100th anniversary puzzle inspired by the original, and Google also has a crossword puzzle doodle to celebrate. (I managed to solve it—without resorting to Google—with just a couple hints from my wife.) And I’m sure there are a bunch of other celebratory crossword puzzles out there, too. Have fun!
