Crossword Puzzle Day (December 21): History of the First Crossword & Ideas

Grab a pencil (or a pen, if you are brave). Crossword Puzzle Day is celebrated every year on December 21, the anniversary of the first crossword ever printed in a newspaper. More than a century later, crosswords are still one of the world’s favorite brain games — in print, on phones and in competitive tournaments.

The First Crossword: December 21, 1913

Arthur Wynne, a journalist born in Liverpool, England, was in charge of the puzzle page in the “Fun” section of the New York World’s Sunday edition. For the Christmas-season issue of December 21, 1913, he tried something new: a diamond-shaped grid with a hollow center, with the letters F-U-N already filled in. Readers had to solve clues for words that ran across and down. He called it a “Word-Cross Puzzle”.

Readers loved it. A few weeks later, a typesetting mistake swapped the words, and the puzzle was printed as a “Cross-Word”. The new name stuck — and that is why we say “crossword” today.

Crossword History in a Nutshell

Year	Milestone
1913	Arthur Wynne’s “Word-Cross” appears in the New York World
1914	A typo turns “Word-Cross” into “Cross-Word”
1924	Simon & Schuster publishes the first book of crossword puzzles, sparking a national craze
1942	The New York Times publishes its first crossword on February 15
1978	The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament is founded
2013	The crossword’s 100th birthday is celebrated with a Google Doodle
Today	Daily digital crosswords and mini puzzles reach millions of solvers

👉 See what else is celebrated today: December 21 Holidays and Observances

Why Crosswords Are Good for You

• Vocabulary: You learn new words and spellings almost without noticing.
• Focus: A puzzle gives your brain a calm, single task — a nice break from screens and notifications.
• Memory and recall: Finding answers means searching your memory for facts, names and phrases.
• Problem solving: Tricky clues teach you to think flexibly and try different angles.
• Connection: Solving with a partner, family or friends turns it into a social game.

Crossword Words Every Solver Should Know

Term	Meaning
Cruciverbalist	A person who loves or creates crossword puzzles
Grid	The pattern of white and black squares
Across / Down	The two directions answers run
Cryptic crossword	A British-style puzzle where each clue is a wordplay riddle
Theme	A hidden link between several long answers in the grid
Crosswordese	Short words that appear often in puzzles, like ERA, OREO or ALOE

American vs. British Crosswords

American-style puzzles use a dense grid where almost every letter belongs to both an across and a down answer, and clues are usually straightforward definitions or puns. British cryptic crosswords, popular in UK newspapers, use grids with more black squares, and every clue combines a definition with wordplay such as anagrams or hidden words. Many solvers enjoy both — they exercise different parts of your puzzling brain.

Fun Crossword Facts

• Wynne’s first puzzle had no black squares inside the grid — it was a simple diamond shape.
• The 1924 crossword book craze was so big that some newspapers called crosswords a passing fad.
• Many solvers say Sunday puzzles are the biggest and Monday puzzles the easiest in US newspapers.
• Crosswords appear in hundreds of languages, from Spanish and German to Japanese.
• Solving with a friend doubles the fun — two memories are better than one.

Whether you solve a quick five-minute mini or a giant weekend grid, December 21 is a reminder that a little brain workout can be relaxing, rewarding and surprisingly social.

How to Celebrate Crossword Puzzle Day

1. Solve the newspaper crossword with your morning coffee.
2. Try a reproduction of Arthur Wynne’s original 1913 puzzle.
3. Challenge a friend or family member to a race on the same puzzle.
4. Write your own mini crossword for someone you love — hide their name in the grid.
5. Try a British cryptic crossword if you usually solve American ones.
6. Teach a child how to solve a simple themed crossword.
7. Share your favorite clue online with #CrosswordPuzzleDay.

Beginner Tips

• Start with the fill-in-the-blank clues — they are often the easiest.
• Use crossing letters: one solved answer gives hints for several others.
• Notice tense and number; a plural clue usually means a plural answer.
• A question mark at the end of a clue often signals a pun.
• Don’t be afraid to take a break — fresh eyes find hidden answers.

Crossword Puzzle Day Dates

Year	Date	Day of the Week
2026	December 21	Monday
2027	December 21	Tuesday
2028	December 21	Thursday
2029	December 21	Friday
2030	December 21	Saturday

👉 Plan your December: December Holidays Calendar

Frequently Asked Questions