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History of Crossword Puzzles Timeline

(1913–Present)

The history of crossword puzzles traces their development from early word games to a popular international pastime found in newspapers, books, apps, and online platforms. Less

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Origins and early development

Cipher crosswords emerge in Germany

1800 - 1899

Cipher crosswords were invented in Germany during the 19th century. These puzzles used coded or numerical systems to determine entries, representing an early branch of crossword-like wordplay.

English word-square puzzles appear in periodicals

1800 - 1899

During the 19th century, English crossword-like puzzles were elementary exercises apparently derived from word squares, in which words read alike vertically and horizontally. They appeared in children's puzzle books and various periodicals.

The phrase “cross word puzzle” is recorded

1862

The phrase “cross word puzzle” was first written in 1862 by the American publication Our Young Folks, providing an early documented use of terminology associated with the modern puzzle genre.

Double Diamond Puzzles appear in St. Nicholas

1873

Crossword-like formats, including Double Diamond Puzzles, appeared in St. Nicholas, a magazine published from 1873. These designs helped popularize interlocking word arrangements before the modern crossword was established.

An Italian crossword-like puzzle is published

Sep 14, 1890

The Italian magazine Il Secolo Illustrato della Domenica published another crossword-like puzzle on September 14, 1890, demonstrating that interlocking word puzzles were developing in more than one country.

Arthur Wynne publishes the first modern crossword

Dec 21, 1913

Arthur Wynne, a Liverpool-born journalist, published a “word-cross” puzzle in the New York World on December 21, 1913. Its grid, clues, and interlocking entries embodied most of the features of the modern crossword.

Britain’s early crossword is published in Pearson’s Magazine

Feb 1922

According to Tony Augarde's Oxford Guide to Word Games, the first crossword in Britain appeared in Pearson's Magazine in February 1922. This predates the better-known British newspaper crossword tradition.

Image source: Crossword

Britain’s early crossword is published in Pearson’s Magazine

The first known crossnumber puzzle is published

1926

Henry Dudeney created the first known crossnumber puzzle, which was published in The Strand Magazine in 1926. Crossnumber puzzles adapted the interlocking format for numerical answers.

The term “crossword” enters the Oxford English Dictionary

1933

The term “crossword” first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1933, reflecting the puzzle's established place in English-language vocabulary.

Image source: Oxford English Dictionary

The term “crossword” enters the Oxford English Dictionary

Newspaper and publishing history

Crosswords become a regular New York World feature

1913

After Arthur Wynne's first puzzle, crossword puzzles became a regular weekly feature in the New York World. The format soon began spreading to other newspapers.

Image source: New York World

Crosswords become a regular New York World feature

The Pittsburgh Press publishes crosswords

1916

The Pittsburgh Press was publishing crossword puzzles at least as early as 1916, illustrating the rapid adoption of the new newspaper feature beyond New York.

The Boston Globe publishes crosswords

1917

The Boston Globe was publishing crossword puzzles by 1917, further establishing the puzzle as a recurring feature in American newspapers.

Crossword puzzles enter popular culture

Oct 1922 - 1923

A Clare Briggs comic strip in October 1922 depicted an enthusiast solving a crossword, while a 1923 Boston Globe humorous squib portrayed a reader urgently trying to retrieve a newspaper for its puzzle. These examples reflected the growing cultural visibility of crosswords.

The first crossword puzzle book is published

1924

Simon & Schuster published the first book of crossword puzzles in 1924 after a suggestion from co-founder Richard Simon's aunt. The publication helped move crosswords from newspapers into mass-market books.

The crossword puzzle book craze begins

1924

Simon & Schuster promoted its 1924 book with an attached pencil. The unusual presentation became an instant hit and helped make crossword puzzles one of the major crazes of 1924.

The New York Times criticizes the crossword craze

1924

A 1924 New York Times editorial criticized crosswords as a “sinful waste” devoted to fitting words into prearranged patterns. The criticism showed that the puzzle's rapid popularity also provoked skepticism.

The Sunday Express publishes Britain’s first newspaper crossword

Nov 2, 1924

The Sunday Express published the first crossword in a British newspaper on November 2, 1924. It was a Wynne puzzle adapted for the United Kingdom.

Crossword popularity is debated in the press

1925

In 1925, Time reported that nine Manhattan dailies and fourteen other major newspapers carried crosswords, while commentators debated whether the craze would end or remain permanent. The New York Times also discussed criticism from The New Republic without declaring the puzzles beneficial or harmful.

Margaret Petherbridge Farrar edits the Times crossword

1942 - 1969

Margaret Petherbridge Farrar served as the New York Times' first crossword editor from 1942 to 1969, shaping the paper's early crossword standards and editorial identity.

The New York Times begins publishing crosswords

Feb 15, 1942

The New York Times published its first crossword puzzle on February 15, 1942. The paper was motivated in part by the idea that a puzzle could provide readers with a welcome distraction from the harsh news of World War II.

Secret code names appear in Daily Telegraph crosswords

1944

In 1944, Allied security officers were disturbed when a series of Daily Telegraph crosswords contained words that were secret code names for military operations planned as part of Operation Overlord.

Krysset becomes Sweden’s oldest extant crossword magazine

1957

Krysset, published by Bonnier, was founded in 1957 and became the oldest extant crossword magazine published in Swedish.

Will Weng and Eugene Maleska edit the Times crossword

1969 - 1993

Will Weng and Eugene T. Maleska edited The New York Times crossword from 1969 through 1993. During their period, women constructors accounted for 35 percent of the puzzles.

The Atlantic begins publishing the Cox-Rathvon Puzzler

1977 - 2006

From 1977 to 2006, The Atlantic regularly featured a cryptic crossword called “Puzzler,” constructed by the husband-and-wife team Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon.

Image source: The Atlantic

The Atlantic begins publishing the Cox-Rathvon Puzzler

Will Shortz becomes Times crossword editor

1993

Will Shortz became The New York Times' fourth crossword editor in 1993 and has edited the paper's crossword since then.

The Atlantic Puzzler moves online

2006 - 2009

From 2006 to 2009, The Atlantic's cryptic crossword Puzzler appeared only online, continuing the Cox-Rathvon feature in a digital format.

The original Simon & Schuster series ends

2007

The original Simon & Schuster Crossword Puzzle Book Series ended in 2007 after reaching 258 volumes. The publisher had maintained the series since its founding in 1924.

Image source: Simon & Schuster

The original Simon & Schuster series ends

The Simon & Schuster Mega series begins

2008

Beginning in 2008, Simon & Schuster continued its crossword publishing tradition with the Mega series. The books appear three times per year and each features 300 puzzles.

The Wall Street Journal begins carrying Cox-Rathvon cryptics

2010

In 2010, Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon's cryptic crossword efforts began appearing monthly in The Wall Street Journal after their long association with The Atlantic.

Cox and Rathvon retire from the Wall Street Journal

Dec 2023

Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon retired at the end of 2023 after decades of constructing cryptic crosswords. The Wall Street Journal continued to offer a cryptic crossword each month.

Innovations and records

Themed crosswords are invented

1958

Harold T. Bers, an advertising executive and frequent contributor to The New York Times crossword, invented the themed crossword in 1958. The format organized several answers around a shared concept or mechanism.

Stephen Sondheim imports cryptic crosswords to the United States

1968

Composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim introduced the cryptic crossword to the United States in New York magazine in 1968. Although influential, the format never became widespread nationally.

Crossword-construction software appears

1976

Software designed to aid crossword construction had been written by at least 1976. Such tools later enabled constructors to manage grids, word lists, and intersecting entries more efficiently.

Crossword Magic reaches Apple II users

1980 - 1989

Crossword Magic became a popular crossword-construction program for the Apple II during the 1980s, providing an early consumer software tool for designing and solving grids.

Spanish crossword conventions preserve two-letter digraphs

1996

In Spanish crosswords, the digraphs ch and ll occupy two squares. Some older crosswords, produced before the 1996 spelling reform, placed each digraph in a single square.

Computerized Crossword Puzzle is published in Indonesia

1998

In 1998, Jakarta publisher Elex Media Komputindo, part of the Gramedia Group, published Teka-Teki Silang Komputer, or Computerized Crossword Puzzle, in diskette form.

The New York Times publishes a tree-themed crossword

Apr 26, 2005

Sarah Keller's April 26, 2005 New York Times crossword, edited by Will Shortz, featured five themed entries ending in different parts of a tree: SQUARE ROOT, TABLE LEAF, WARDROBE TRUNK, BRAIN STEM, and BANK BRANCH.

Roger Squires sets a crossword record

May 14, 2007

Roger Squires published his 66,666th crossword on May 14, 2007. The achievement represented approximately two million clues and was recognized by Guinness World Records as the record for the most prolific crossword compiler.

The Times commemorates Steve Jobs

Oct 7, 2011

The October 7, 2011 New York Times crossword commemorated Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who had died on October 5. The puzzle used its clues and entries to acknowledge his life and influence.

Joe Krozel sets a low-shaded-square record

Jul 27, 2012

Joe Krozel's July 27, 2012 New York Times crossword contained only 17 shaded squares in a 15-by-15 American crossword, leaving 208 white spaces.

Joe Krozel sets a low-word-count record

Jun 29, 2013

Joe Krozel's June 29, 2013 New York Times crossword used only 50 words, the lowest word count recorded for a published weekday-size 15-by-15 puzzle.

A. N. Prahlada Rao receives Indian crossword recognition

2015 - 2017

A. N. Prahlada Rao was recorded in the Limca Book of Records in 2015 for creating the highest number of crosswords in an Indian regional language. He continued to hold the title through 2016 and 2017.

A. N. Prahlada Rao enters the Limca Book of Records

2016

In 2016, A. N. Prahlada Rao was recorded in the Limca Book of Records for constructing the highest number of crosswords in Indian regional languages.

The Times publishes a gender-flexible puzzle

Sep 1, 2016

Ben Tausig's September 1, 2016 New York Times puzzle contained four squares where solvers could enter either M or F and still produce correct answers across and down.

A. N. Prahlada Rao is named in the Kalam Book of World Records

2019

A. N. Prahlada Rao's crossword-construction achievements were mentioned in the Kalam Book of World Records in 2019.

Régis Petit publishes large black-square-free grids

2024

In 2024, Régis Petit published the largest known crossword grids designed without black squares in French, English, Italian, Spanish, Latin, Serbian, Croatian, Hungarian, Hebrew, and German. The grids included 12-by-12, 11-by-11, 10-by-10, and 9-by-9 formats.

Modern communities and representation

Women constructors’ representation declines in the Shortz era

1993 - 2018

During Will Shortz's editorship, the share of New York Times puzzles constructed by women declined compared with the 1969–1993 period. Women constructors accounted for 15 percent in both 2014 and 2015, 17 percent in 2016, 13 percent in 2017, and 16 percent in 2018.

The documentary Wordplay increases public interest

2006

The 2006 documentary Wordplay focused on enthusiasts of The New York Times crossword and increased public interest in crossword solving and competitive puzzle culture.

The Wall Street Journal adds a contest metapuzzle

Sep 2015

Since September 2015, The Wall Street Journal's Friday crossword has featured a contest metapuzzle. A reader who submits the correct answer is selected at random to receive a WSJ mug.

Women of Letters puzzle pack is organized

2018

In spring 2018, Patti Varol and Amy Reynaldo organized and edited Women of Letters, a pack of 18 crossword puzzles constructed by women.

The Inkubator launches its Kickstarter campaign

2018

Inspired by Women of Letters, Laura Braunstein and Tracy Bennett launched The Inkubator, a subscription service for crosswords constructed by cis women, trans women, and woman-aligned constructors. Its initial Kickstarter campaign raised more than $30,000.

The Inkubator begins publishing puzzles

Jan 17, 2019

The Inkubator began publishing puzzles on January 17, 2019. The twice-monthly service emphasized work by women and woman-aligned constructors.

Inkubator Crosswords book is published

2022

Inkubator Crosswords: 100 Audacious Puzzles by Women and Nonbinary Creators was published in 2022, collecting 100 puzzles associated with the project's inclusive construction community.

The Inkubator announces its final subscription year

Feb 8, 2023

On February 8, 2023, The Inkubator announced to subscribers that 2023 would be its final year operating as a subscription service.

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Key Facts

  1. Arthur Wynne published the first modern crossword puzzle in the New York World on December 21, 1913.
  2. Wynne's original puzzle was diamond-shaped and did not include the familiar black squares.
  3. Crossword puzzles became a major newspaper feature during the 1920s, inspiring widespread public enthusiasm known as the crossword craze.
  4. The first crossword puzzle book was published by Simon & Schuster in 1924, helping establish puzzles as a commercial publishing success.
  5. Crosswords have evolved into many forms, including cryptic, themed, barred, and digital puzzles, while remaining popular worldwide.

Source

This History of Crossword Puzzles timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

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