Crossword Puzzle Day
December 21, 2021
Crossword Puzzle Day on December 21st commemorates the birth of a challenging word game enjoyed by millions worldwide.
Printers published the first crossword puzzles in England in children’s books and other publications. They were simple word games derived from the word squares where letters were arranged in a square so that the words read the same across and down. But it's journalist Arthur Wynne from Liverpool that receives credit as the inventor of the word game we know today. He created what is considered the first known published crossword puzzle. The puzzle appeared in the December 21, 1913, edition of the New York World newspaper.
A cruciverbalist is someone skilled at making or who enjoys solving crossword puzzles. Crossword puzzle writers also call themselves constructors.
The longest word ever used in a crossword puzzle is Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. It’s the name of Welsh town and was used by Roger Squires, a prolific crossword puzzle creator. Telford Wrekin News published the puzzle in its July 1979 edition.
Many tout the benefits of crossword puzzles. Not only are they fun, but challenging crossword puzzles may help delay the effects of dementia or sharpen the brain for problem-solving. They can also increase vocabulary and even relieve the mind from the day’s stress by focusing on something other than worldly problems.
Now for the answers to our crossword:
