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National Puzzle Day (January 29)

Check out the weird holiday National Puzzle Day on January 29. Learn the history of National Puzzle Day, and get ideas on how to celebrate.

One weird holiday on January 29 is National Puzzle Day. Check out the other weird January holidays!

History of National Puzzle Day

This weird holiday is for all types of puzzles, like crossword puzzles, Sudoku, jigsaw puzzles, and more! This can also include riddles, mechanical puzzles, and even the Rubik’s cube!

National Puzzle Day was created in 2002 by a woman named Jodi Jill. She was a syndicated newspaper puzzle maker and professional quiz maker, and she wanted to share her enjoyment of puzzles with everyone. She also developed classroom lesson plans specifically for this weird holiday.

Each type of puzzle has a different purpose that requires different skills to solve. Some will challenge your vocabulary (like word searches or crosswords), while others will test your ability to think logically. Picture puzzles and jigsaw puzzles can help you with patience and spatial reasoning.

We often associate puzzles with something old people do to keep busing in ursing homes, but they actually have benefits for all ages. Children learn patience, motor skills, and how to work together. Adults receive an increase in concentration, memory, and brain activity.

Before modern puzzles existed, there were labyrinth drawing puzzles around 2300 BC in Ancience Egypt that were quite popular.

In 1767, the first jigsaw puzzle was developed by the mapmaker John Spilsbury. Spilsbury – a cartographer and engraver – put some wood on a map of Europe and then cut out each country in order to teach children about geography.

On December 21, 1913, the world’s first crossword puzzles was in the Sunday paper New York World. It was created by the journalist Arthur Wayne.

During the Great Depression, and especially in 1933, puzzle sales soard above 10 million per week.

In 1979, Sudoku was introduced to the United States after being printed in a word games magazine in Indiana under the name “Number Place”. The name Sudoku is Japanese, but it actually came from Switzerland where it was called “Latin Squares.” It didn’t become Sudoku until 1984 when it became popular in Japan.

Puzzles are a great way to relieve stress and to exercise your brain.

Ideas for National Puzzle Day

To celebrate this weird holiday, you should go out and buy a puzzle to put together! Or use one of the ideas below.

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