Crossword Fun: Our Inaugural 'Puzzle of the Month' at Mountaineer News (And A History Lesson, Too!)

June 15, 2022

Mountaineer News

Crossword Puzzle | Intermediate Level

Do you know your crossword puzzle history? If so, simply scroll down and tackle our puzzle of the week - Upshur County History. If not...

Crossword puzzles are said to be the most popular and widespread word game in the world, but they have a very short history.

The first crosswords appeared in England during the 19th century. They were of an elementary kind, apparently derived from the word square, a group of words arranged so the letters read alike vertically and horizontally, and printed in children's puzzle books and various periodicals.

In the United States, however, the puzzle developed into a serious adult pastime.

The first known published crossword puzzle was created by a journalist named Arthur Wynne. Wynne was from Liverpool and is credited as the inventor of the popular word game.

Crosswords are a relatively recent addition to daily newspapers. Wynne first appeared in Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World, December 21, 1913 edition. The puzzle, 'Fun' (depicted above) differed from today's crosswords in that it was diamond-shaped and contained no internal black squares.

During the early 1920's other newspapers picked up the newly discovered pastime, and within a decade, crossword puzzles were featured in almost all American newspapers. It was during this time that crosswords began to assume their familiar form.

Get ready, Upshur County! We thought it was time to bring you this favorite pastime... each and every week!

So today, we're kicking off our very own fun and challenging inaugural Crossword Puzzle #1: Upshur County History

Player Beware: Some of the answers are super-easy... others, not so much. We'll post the answer key for you here later today.

If you think crossword puzzles are fun, just wait until you see the other classic games coming soon to our Virtual Online Game Room... Where you'll NEVER pay-to-play.

We're creating this gaming space especially for our readers, because we know there are moments where you just simply need to pass the time while in the school pickup line... or as you sit in the waiting room... or when you're bored on your lunch break...

Feel free to play online, anytime, or download and print out any crosswords we post here. We're excited to bring you more locally-themed games as we progress. You won't be disappointed.

In the meantime, we hope you enjoy our Inaugural Crossword Puzzle, Buckhannon. Sorry... we didn't want to make the first one too easy.

UPSHUR COUNTY HISTORY

We also want to hear from you, Upshur County! If there's a specific theme or a pre-made puzzle you'd like to see presented or share with us, send it our way and we'll share it here with our readers! Every game within our Virtual Online Game Room will be more 'ergonomic' to your display than today's inaugural puzzle.

Check back later for the answer key for this and the Aurther Wynne inaugural 'Fun' puzzle.

UPDATE: KEYS