Don’t be puzzled by this odd occasion. National Puzzle Day celebrates all shapes and forms of puzzles.

There’s crossword puzzles, Sudoku (which involves numbers), search-a-word puzzles, and of course, jigsaw puzzles.

Puzzles are a favorite pastime of millions of people, young and old. So, what’s with this fascination over puzzles?

There’s numerous reasons for it’s popularity. For many, doing puzzles is fun. Some people just like the challenge of completing them. For others, it is a way to pass the time, and to relieve boredom. Others still, do puzzles to keep their mind sharp, or to learn new words.

Whatever the cause for your interest, spend National Puzzle Day doing puzzles.

Puzzle Facts

Did You Know?

Back in 1766, a cartographer (that’s a person who makes maps) glued a map to a piece of wood and cut it up into bits. He then issued a challenge to everyone to try to put it back together — and a craze was born!

Jigsaws (the tool that’s used to cut the wood into fancy shapes) weren’t invented until 1873, so puzzles back then were called “dissections” or “dissected puzzles.”

Most puzzles today are made from cardboard, not wood, because they are cheaper and easier to make.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the world’s largest jigsaw puzzle had 551,232 pieces! It took 1,600 students working together 17 hours to finish it.

Luiza Figueiredo of Brazil has the largest collection of puzzles. She owns 1,047 sets!

Do you think a crow can solve a puzzle? Check out this video!

Happy National Puzzle Day!