Puzzle history and facts

Which is the largest puzzle in the world?

The world's largest commercial puzzle... has 24000 pieces and measures 168 in x 62 in! It is called "Life: The Great Challenge” and is produced by Educa and sold worldwide.

Scott Slater family with the world's largest puzzle

It is sold since March 2007. The first to complete it were a family of California (USA) formed by Scott Slater and his wife P. J. with the help of their two daughters. They completed the puzzle in June 16 2007 after 32 days of hard work.

"Life: The Great Challenge" has the Guiness record for the most pieces in a jigsaw puzzle.

Which was the first jigsaw puzzle?

The first puzzle of history was built around 1760 by a geographer and engraver from London named John Spilsbury.

Spilsbury mounted one of his maps on a sheet of plywood and cut the borders of countries with a jigsaw. This puzzle was used to teach geography to children.

 

 

Since when are jigsaw puzzles made of cardboard?

The first puzzles were made of wood. Cardboard puzzles were introduced in the early nineteenth century but wood puzzles continued to dominate throughout this century as they were considered of better quality.

 

When was the golden age of jigsaw puzzles?

The jigsaw puzzles before the twentieth century were very expensive and only the high society could afford it. With the introduction of new manufacturing techniques they were made cheaper and were widely popularized. The golden age of jigsaw puzzles was in the 20s and 30s. This was also due to the new puzzles with more pieces and more difficult targeting adults and not only children. It is also curious that this popularity coincided with the Great Depression. Some people attribute this to the fact that it is a very cheap hobby and gives many hours of fun.

Which is the most difficult puzzlel?

There are many very difficult puzzles. Some people claim that the most difficult puzzle is one based on a Jackson Pollock painting called "convergence".

Convergence de Jackson Pollok