5 Interesting Facts About Jigsaw Puzzles You May Not Know

There are so many things that can distract us from the real world when we need to relax. Instead of scrolling through your streaming service queue, maybe try mixing things up by solving a jigsaw puzzle. These are five interesting facts about jigsaw puzzles you may not know.

Puzzles Were Dissected Maps

In the middle of the 18th century, John Spilsbury tried to find innovative ways to teach schoolchildren geography lessons. Thus, he pasted maps on wood and cut them into several pieces. While he was unaware of what he did, Spilsbury inadvertently made the first jigsaw puzzle.

The first “puzzle” was called a “dissected map” because it was a map of Europe sectioned off. It wasn’t until 1909 that the term “jigsaw” came about from the mechanical saw doing the cutting.

Spilsbury’s method had financial benefits, considering that prestigious boarding schools bought them. The latter half of the 18th century saw more puzzles from other inventors coming to fruition that included animals, scenery, and heroic figures.

Helps Children With Autism

It can be challenging to find an activity that autistic children enjoy doing. Luckily, they enjoy solving jigsaw puzzles, which also helps develop their cognitive abilities. Doing a puzzle helps the left and right sides of the brain, which expands their knowledge and creativity. An activity like this helps fine-tune their motor skills by providing sensory input.

Prodigy Breaking Records

Seemingly, every hobby, activity, or sport has a child prodigy to go with it. And that’s particularly true when it comes to the art of completing a puzzle. A 15-year-old has the record for being the quickest to complete a 250-piece jigsaw puzzle. Deepika Ravichandran only took 13 minutes to solve it, averaging 18 pieces per minute.

529 Dalmatians

A puzzle that’s only 529 pieces shouldn’t be the most complex puzzle in the world to solve. However, when it’s a puzzle of dalmatians with a front and a backside, you are in for the world’s biggest headache. Cruella de Vil is the only person who can rival your loathing for these dogs after working on this puzzle.

Over 1.8 Billion People Served

Even with the boom of using screens as distractions, puzzles are still a popular hobby amongst everyone. Over 1.8 billion puzzles sell every year, and they even have their own “International Puzzle Day” that started in 1995. Needless to say, jigsaw puzzles are here to stay.

Hopefully, you enjoyed the five interesting facts about jigsaw puzzles you may not know. It’s nice to see that the art of opening a box, dumping out all the pieces, and figuring out the border of a 500-piece puzzle isn’t dying off. After all, there are few things as satisfying as completing a puzzle in our lives.