Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Happy Birthday, Crossword Puzzle!
By
Jen Carlson
Published Dec 21, 2010
Modified Dec 21, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Dec 21, 2010
Modified Dec 21, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
That's correct, the first modern crossword puzzle was published on this very day, back in 1913, in the New York World newspaper (and it was the very one you see pictured above!). According to Inside the Apple, the paper was owned by Joseph Pulitzer at the time, who "raised its circulation through sensational news coverage, stunt reporting, and a focus on distractions and pastimes." Enter: the crossword! Or as it was called back then, the "word-cross." It was created by Arthur Wynne, and ran in the Sunday Fun section of the paper—where it became an instant hit... among most. Oddly enough, the New York Public Library and the New York Times both criticized the game.
In 1921, the NYPL reported that crosswords were "the latest craze to strike libraries," but frowned upon the fans, noting that "the puzzle 'fans' swarm to the dictionaries and encyclopedias so as to drive away readers and students who need these books in their daily work, can there be any doubt of the Library's duty to protect its legitimate readers?" Just three years later a NY Times editorial called crosswords "a primitive form of mental exercise"—they didn't publish their first until 1942.
Try out the original puzzle above, unless you're one of the haters. (Psst... the answers are over here.)
Tagged
anniversary
birthday
crossword puzzle
game
history
new york world
puzzler
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Inside a photographer's journey to visit every neighborhood in New York City
What do you see when you record the whole of the boroughs?
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 5, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. ET
Banned books and Winnie the Pooh: October in NYC libraries
It's a busy month at the branches.
By
Alec Hamilton
Arts & Entertainment
Banned books and Winnie the Pooh: October in NYC libraries
It's a busy month at the branches.
By
Alec Hamilton
NYC music in October: The Strokes, a Blink-182 cover band, and Polish experimentalism
By
Hank Shteamer
Are you a New Yorker? The Department of New Yorker Verification will now decide.
By
Hannah Frishberg
In the mood for a pastoral autumn experience? Try Queens.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .