On July 9th, the Library hosted its first-ever Jigsaw Puzzle Tournament. The Brundage family won the competition by being the first to complete a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle. They received gift cards to McCool’s Ice Cream and a copy of the Library’s 150th anniversary jigsaw puzzle.
The reference desk area features a large jigsaw puzzle table with new puzzles every week, alongside free New York Times crossword and Sudoku sheets. Dozens of visitors contribute to our jigsaw table every day.
Fun facts about puzzles:
- Even ancient civilizations like the Egyptians, Greeks, and Chinese enjoyed puzzles in the form of riddles, mechanical devices, and geometric challenges.
- The jigsaw puzzle we love originated in the 18th century. A British mapmaker named John Spilsbury created the first one by mounting a map on wood and cutting it into pieces.
- Tangrams, the puzzles with seven geometric shapes, have an even older history, dating to China’s Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE).
- The New York Times crosswords were invented in 1913 by a British journalist named Arthur Wynne.
- Sudoku’s roots go back to Switzerland in the 18th century, but the modern version we know gained popularity in Japan during the 1980s, explaining its Japanese name.
- Video games like Tetris, Minesweeper, Candy Crush, and Wordle are recent additions to the puzzle family, thanks to computers!
It’s fun to see visitors discover our jigsaw puzzle table and get drawn in by the challenge. Did you know that National Puzzle Day is January 29th? We plan on hosting another Jigsaw Puzzle Tournament to celebrate!
— Irene Vershinin, Reference Librarian