A Century of Crosswords: Wynne’s Lasting Puzzle

Every day millions pause to fill in a crossword square, but few remember that the pastime began with a single man a hundred years ago. Enthusiasts range from casual solvers to speed experts; some aficionados, like Dan, the reigning American Crossword Puzzle Tournament champion, work through multiple puzzles daily and can finish them in minutes. Odd bits of trivia and uncommon words are part of the fun: if you know the three-letter name for a sea eagle — ern — you’ve already shown some cruciverbal skill. For many, crosswords sharpen the mind, offer a welcome diversion, and even foster connections — one Washington Post Sunday puzzle famously hid the question “Will you marry me?” and prompted a proposal. The first puzzle appeared in the New York World on December 21, 1913. Arthur Wynne labeled his creation a “word-cross” and printed it as a hollow diamond, even supplying the first across answer, FUN, to readers. At first few papers picked up the idea and the craze was limited, but two young Columbia journalism graduates, Dick Simon and Max Schuster, recognized demand and produced the first book of puzzles. Their publishing house, Simon & Schuster, helped spread crosswords nationally. Commuters carried unabridged dictionaries to fill in answers, and the craze spilled into fashion, contests, Broadway scenes and daily newspaper features. Despite the puzzle’s popularity, Wynne saw no financial reward; when he asked his editor about copyright his boss dismissed the idea as a passing fad, and Wynne never profited from his invention. His daughter Catherine of Clearwater, Florida, remembered the games and puzzles her parents left for her and said Wynne quietly enjoyed being called “the father of the modern crossword,” even without commercial gain. By the early 1920s crosswords had become mainstream, with newspapers offering large prizes and puzzles woven into everyday life. Over the decades formats and conventions have evolved, but the core appeal endures: a compact set of clues that sends a solver’s mind leaping across topics, a blend of variety and challenge that still suits the pace of modern life.