Puzzles and history

XVIII century. London.

John Spilsbury, the progenitor of all modern puzzles, was a map maker and engraver. To increase his students' interest in learning geography, he asked them to assemble a map from parts, each of which was glued to a wooden base.

Of course, the first puzzles had many drawbacks:

• they were interconnected in a rather complex and loose way;

• they were not so beautiful (after all, color pictures appeared much later);

• and, finally, they were too expensive for most of the inventor's contemporaries.

However, interest in the new entertainment grew rapidly. And after they appeared in 1760, within a few decades, jigsaw puzzles became excellent parlor entertainment. After some time, the images of geographical maps were replaced by the most diverse images. They were portraits of beautiful women, expensive cars, historical battles, biblical scenes and even caricatures!

XIX century.

As the time went by. In the nineteenth century, cardboard stamping became widespread in America. This made it possible to replace expensive materials and made puzzles accessible not only to the richest strata of the population. The growth in popularity in many countries around the world has become truly enormous. The advent of color images only accelerated it even more.

Puzzles grew from a purely educational tool and finally gained a reputation as an interesting and fun game.

20th century America.

Our time is getting closer! The 20th century became a stellar time in the history of puzzles. Perhaps this was partially contributed to by the prohibition law introduced in America, when people were enthralled by real "battles" of putting together puzzles. Several teams participated, each preparing to assemble a picture from several thousand parts! Gradually, pictures of expensive cars, scenes from social life or portraits of frivolous beauties appeared before the eyes of the admiring audience.

Everyone is charmed, even the gangsters! As they say, the interest in puzzles has even reached the criminal world. The Dutchman Schultz, for example, took a break from banditry and spent his time solving puzzles.

And in the USSR?

No, puzzles were not produced in the Soviet Union. Moreover, it is interesting to know that they existed in pre-revolutionary Russia. Back in the second quarter of the 19th century in St. Petersburg, Vdovichev, the owner of his own workshop of children's games, produced special pictures for coloring, pasting on cardboard and cutting. In the future, the game could be folded back into a single image. Since the author was an artist and lithographer, the quality was quite decent. The topics were understandable and interesting stories for children. This is a picture of the children's room, toys, etc.

1909 year.

The first factory for the production of puzzles opens in the USA.

XXI century.

Today there is such a large selection of puzzles that it is difficult to even list all possible types. They also differ in the materials they are made of. For example, you can find "fluffy puzzles", both by size (there are small ones for children, and there are real giants for the whole wall), and by their thematic focus, as well as their purpose.

There is no end to the development of puzzles. What will bring us new things in the 22nd century?

Puzzles for elementary school students become even more complex. These guys can already be offered not only pictures from cartoons, but also scenes from the natural world. Playing with puzzles from 7 to 11 years old:

• makes the child calmer and more diligent, gives him the opportunity to rest from the school day and forget about his minor troubles;

• a good rest, which does not excite you before preparing your homework;

• additional training of fine motor skills to improve handwriting, attentiveness, which will be useful in class, and eye;

• and, of course, puzzles develop the imagination.

Teenagers.

Teenagers are a lot of people who are quite hard to please. Parents should remember that crises will pass more easily if an adult child has an interesting job at home. Then you are not so attracted to the streets. Because:

• puzzles can become a personal hobby;

• distract you from your computer;

• puzzles will become an activity for the whole group of friends;

• will help you add achievements to your personal collection.

But all this is only in one case. If these are real puzzles for teenagers. Cute pictures are no longer captivating. The puzzle should seem complex and almost impossible to master, but... in fact, it's still composable. A teenager is constantly being tested. Can I handle it?

With finished works, you can decorate a room or set up a small gallery. Isn't that something to be proud of? And the plot, of course, should be agreed with the son or daughter.

Grown ups.

The puzzles are suitable for all ages! And it's true. Putting together puzzles for adults is:

• incredibly strong anti-stress;

• the satisfaction of creating with one's own hands - it is not always available to knowledge workers on other occasions;

• puzzles do not allow the brain to "stagnate", and this is more important for those who do physical work. Development of imagination and perception, logic and attention, eye and spatial vision - all this is given to us by ordinary puzzles.

Puzzles are useful because of another wonderful feature - they can unite! What could be better than a family dinner, when children and parents gather at the same table, each with their own personal puzzle! In such moments mutual understanding is born.