CROSSWORDS: 1910s

Highlights | 1912 | 1913 | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 |
References: General, Oreo


Two Oreos
Two Oreo Cookies by Evan-Amos
public domain from Wikimedia Commons

Highlights

  • 1913: Wynne's "FUN Word-Cross" appears in New York World
  • 1916: cross-word in Pittsburgh Press; 1917: Boston Globe

1912

  • Oreo introduced by National Biscuit Company (Nabisco); 3/6/1912
  • OREO: popular vowel-rich, crossword 'filling' with same color scheme
300 1st crossword
First crossword puzzle, created by Arthur Wynne,
published in the New York World on December 21, 1913;
this re-creation uses different font and
fixes spelling in labels 4–5 and 9–25;
public domain via Wikimedia Commons

1913

1914

  • After constructing the World's first seven crosswords himself, Wynne solicited submissions
    from his readers. In February, Mrs. M. B. Wood became the first constructor given a byline.
  • Ambrose Bierce dies: journalist, satirist, writer.
    "Egotism, n:...
  • Tinkertoy Construction Set
  • World War I: 1914-1918

1915

  • Wynne used diamond-shaped grids, but the shapes were not standardized: in Jan. 1915,
    for example, one week’s grid was in the shape of an F; the next week, a U; finally, an N.
    "That spells FUN for every one of FUN's puzzle solvers" ~Arthur Wynne.
  • On March 7, 1915, Wynne painted a picture for his readers of the FUN flood of submissions:
    “The editor of FUN receives an average of twenty-five cross-words every day from readers.
    Considering that only one cross-word is published per week you can possibly imagine
    what the office of FUN is beginning to look like. Everywhere your eyes rest on boxes,
    barrels and crates, each one filled with cross-word puzzles patiently awaiting publication.
    However, the editor of FUN hopes to use them all in time. The puzzle editor has kindly
    figured out that the present supply will last until the second week in December, 2100."

1916

1917

crossword stampReferences

Oreo