The History of Word Puzzles

For over sixteen years, I’ve been a fiction author, but recently, I decided to try my hand at something else—a U.S.A. word find puzzle book. Creating this book made me wonder about the history of word games, so I decided to do some research and create this month’s post about them. Although there are many types of word puzzles—arrowords, acrostics, jotto, rebus, and more—I’ll be giving you a brief history of three of the more popular word games.

Crosswords are considered the most popular type of word puzzles. Journalist Arthur Wynne from Liverpool, England, is the first person known to have published a crossword puzzle. His puzzle appeared in the New York World on December 21, 1913. Wynne's puzzle was diamond shaped and contained no internal black squares, differing from today's crosswords. During the 1920’s, other newspapers quickly picked up the newly discovered pastime, and within a decade, crossword puzzles were featured in almost all American newspapers. During this time, crosswords began to assume the shape we’re more familiar with.

Considering crosswords puzzles were invented over a hundred years ago, you would think word search/find/seek puzzles—whatever you call them—have been around almost as long, but no. Not true. Norman E. Gibat created the first word find puzzle in 1960. He published it in a small want-ad's type newspaper called the Selenby Digest in Norman, Oklahoma. Selenby's original size was 8.5 by 5.5 inches, and it was distributed free at Safeway and other stores in Norman. Teachers in the area soon realized what a great educational tool the puzzles were and began to use them in their classrooms. Before long, word searches were being syndicated nationally.

Here's a Famous Inventors Word Search I made for you. :) You don't have to read it in such a small font. It's a jpg image so you should be able to right click on it and save it. Then open it and print it.

Note: Leave a comment below with your email if you'd like the solution or are unable to save the puzzle.

Cryptograms—a type of puzzle that consists of a short piece of encrypted text—is one of the oldest word games in existence. Monks from the Middle Ages are credited with being the first to use cryptograms for entertainment. Before that, they were used personally and for military for security purposes. Around the thirteenth century, Roger Bacon, an English monk, penned a book in which he listed seven different cipher methods. In the 19th century Edgar Allan Poe helped to make cryptograms popular in many newspapers and magazines.

I created a cryptogram for you from a humorous quote about history by David Ben-Gurion, first Prime Minister of Israel. 

GKADKH XBD THWPHUHI ADJ YGK'Z YBGKEH BPIZDVA BGI KHUHV ZVPHF ZD XVPZH BPI SHSDPVI.

E = G

Note: Leave a comment below with your email if you'd like the solution.

My favorite type of word puzzle is the word search. How about you? Do you like working word puzzles? Do you have a favorite kind?

Hours of mentally stimulating word search fun! USA Word Find contains 75 easy-to-read large print word search puzzles. These engaging puzzles feature United States topics such as state capitals, state nicknames, animals and birds found in the U.S., actors born in the U.S., and much more. Test your knowledge of the United States while enjoying hours of word find fun. 

This book will be available on Amazon in August. 

Bestselling author Vickie McDonough grew up wanting to marry a rancher, but instead, she married a computer geek who is scared of horses. She now lives out her dreams penning romance stories about ranchers, cowboys, lawmen, and others living in the Old West. Vickie is a best-selling author of more than 40 published books and novellas, with over 1.5 million copies sold. Her novels include End of the Trail, winner of the OWFI 2013 Best Fiction Novel Award. Whispers on the Prairie was a Romantic Times Recommended Inspirational Book for July 2013. Song of the Prairie won the 2015 Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Gabriel’s Atonement, book 1 in the Land Rush Dreams series placed second in the 2016 Will Rogers Medallion Award. Vickie has recently stepped into independent publishing. To learn more about Vickie’s books or to sign up for her newsletter, visit her website: www.vickiemcdonough.com

HHH Book Day

Yoana Armenta’s reckless behavior results in her being captured by bandoleros, Yoana fears her impulsive nature has caused irreparable disaster. Amado Castro gave a death bed promise that he intends to keep – at all costs - even if he must break a childhood vow. When his choice endangers Yoana’s life, he struggles with the decision to honor his word, or to protect Yoana, whom he has come to care for more than he could have imagined. Now as the bandoleros threaten to sell Yoana and her tía to a fate worse than death, and the rancheros want to hang Amado, they must make choices. Will they trust God, or will they do what seems right to them? 

Hours of mentally stimulating word search fun! USA Word Find contains 75 easy-to-read large print word search puzzles. These engaging puzzles feature United States topics such as state capitals, state nicknames, animals and birds found in the U.S., actors born in the U.S., and much more. Test your knowledge of the United States while enjoying hours of word find fun.  

Penelope Beatty made up her mind long ago she would live and die a Scottish warrior not a wife. But when nearly all her clan is killed and she is betrayed, she loathes doing the unthinkable, but must seek the help of an Englishman who owed her father’s his life. Thomas Godfrey never married, but when a Scottish warrior lass shows up needing his aid, he finds her both annoying and irresistible. But the last thing he wants is to marry a woman who fights alongside him. If he was going to marry—which he isn’t—it would be to a soft, submissive woman. But when the Lady Brithwin meets the Scottish lass, she’s sure she’s found the perfect match for Thomas and nothing is going to stop her from seeing a summer wedding.

Natchez, MS; 1791

Anxious for his brothers to join him on the rugged frontier along the Mississippi River, Connor O’Shea has no choice but to indenture himself as a carpenter in exchange for their passage from Ireland. But when he’s sold to Isabella Bartholomew of Breeze Hill Plantation, Connor fears he’ll repeat past mistakes and vows not to be tempted by the lovely lady. Soon, though, Connor realizes someone is out to eliminate the Bartholomew family. Can he set aside his own feelings to keep Isabella safe? 

Seven Brides for Seven Mail-Order Husbands, by Susan Page Davis and six other authors. Meet seven of Turtle Springs, Kansas’, finest women who are determined to revive their small town after the War Between the States took most of its men. . .and didn’t return them. The ladies decide to advertise for husbands and devise a plan for weeding out the riff raff. But how can they make the best practical choices when their hearts cry out to be loved? 

Looking forward to a quiet life and a full stomach, mail-order bride Rebecca Rice is pleased to marry her shopkeeper intended, Mr. Fordham, until the justice of the peace calls him Thaddeus, not Theodore—proceeded by the title Deputy.When the newlyweds realize they’ve married the wrong partners with similar names, an annulment seems in order—and fast, since Rebecca’s true intended is impatient to claim her as his own, not to mention Rebecca would never marry a lawman like her father. But when the legalities take longer than expected, Rebecca wonders if Tad wasn’t the right husband for her all along. . . 

Through the ages, men have told many stories about Mary, Joseph, and the birth of the Messiah. Stories of shepherds and sheep, kings, angels, and stables. But one story no one has ever told. One story hidden in the fabric of time. The story of The Swaddling Clothes. Mentioned not once, but several times in the Scriptural text, what is the significance of these special cloths? And how did they make their way into a stable in Bethlehem? From the author that brought you the Days of Messiah series comes a whole new adventure critics are calling "intriguing...thought provoking... a fresh twist on an age old story." 

Seven pink envelopes, addressed in Wanda Taylor’s spiky handwriting, represented her legacy to seven people she held dear. Legacy letters—that’s what they were. A last gift, though some might call it interference. People often sought her advice and her God-given gift of discernment. But not these seven, and her heart ached for them. They were good people who loved God and their families, but she saw patterns in their lives that could harm them in the future if left unchecked. Monica was the lynch pin to the entire project. The mantle of the matriarch fit her, and everyone in the family recognized it. But she needed to learn how to let go before she could take charge.