Did you know that the first jigsaw puzzle was invented in the 18th century, or that for half a century or more these puzzles weren't so much seen as a hobby but as a tool for education? Read on to learn more about modern jigsaw puzzles and where they came from, and also to find out where you can play the best online puzzle games!
The first commercial jigsaw puzzles were made by a London mapmaker called John Spilsbury. He took one of his maps and stuck it onto a hardwood board. Then he cut around the continents using a marquetry saw. Spilsbury intended for his map-puzzles to be used to teach children geography, and so for over half a century after Spilsbury put the puzzle to commercial use in 1760, the jigsaw puzzle was mainly an educational tool.
Up until the late 19th century these puzzles, made out of carefully cut pieces, were called "dissections," which doesn't sound all too fun and engaging. Even though puzzles were mostly made by using a fret saw rather than a jig saw - a saw made for cutting random curves - they came to be known around the 1880s as jigsaw puzzles.
Nowadays only high-end and more expensive jigsaw puzzles are still made out of wood. Most jigsaw puzzles today are made out of thick cardboard and cut using a special plate called a die. This die works a lot like a giant cookie cutter. The plate has sharp metal edges twisted into puzzle patterns and these edges are used to cut out the puzzle pieces by pressing the plate down onto the cardboard. The machine needs to push a lot harder to press the edges of the die through the cardboard than you would need to push a cookie cutter through dough though. To cut a 1000 piece puzzle you will need to press the die onto the board with up to 700 tons of force to make cleanly cut pieces!
Did you know that the largest commercial puzzle ever made counts more than 32,000 pieces? It was a Ravensburger puzzle and had exactly 32,256 and it was 1,92 metres high and a staggering 5,44 metres wide. Imagine having to clear that up once you're done piecing it together!
Of course, there are also many online versions of jigsaw puzzles, and aside from never losing a piece there is also zero cleanup involved! In some puzzle games you don't have to rotate the pieces, they will already be oriented the right way, but in other games you will have to click the pieces to turn them. You can play easy puzzles and more difficult games, casual play or timed puzzle challenges. Check out the massive puzzle overview at Games.co.za and pick your favourite ones to play!
The first commercial jigsaw puzzles were made by a London mapmaker called John Spilsbury. He took one of his maps and stuck it onto a hardwood board. Then he cut around the continents using a marquetry saw. Spilsbury intended for his map-puzzles to be used to teach children geography, and so for over half a century after Spilsbury put the puzzle to commercial use in 1760, the jigsaw puzzle was mainly an educational tool.
Up until the late 19th century these puzzles, made out of carefully cut pieces, were called "dissections," which doesn't sound all too fun and engaging. Even though puzzles were mostly made by using a fret saw rather than a jig saw - a saw made for cutting random curves - they came to be known around the 1880s as jigsaw puzzles.
Nowadays only high-end and more expensive jigsaw puzzles are still made out of wood. Most jigsaw puzzles today are made out of thick cardboard and cut using a special plate called a die. This die works a lot like a giant cookie cutter. The plate has sharp metal edges twisted into puzzle patterns and these edges are used to cut out the puzzle pieces by pressing the plate down onto the cardboard. The machine needs to push a lot harder to press the edges of the die through the cardboard than you would need to push a cookie cutter through dough though. To cut a 1000 piece puzzle you will need to press the die onto the board with up to 700 tons of force to make cleanly cut pieces!
Did you know that the largest commercial puzzle ever made counts more than 32,000 pieces? It was a Ravensburger puzzle and had exactly 32,256 and it was 1,92 metres high and a staggering 5,44 metres wide. Imagine having to clear that up once you're done piecing it together!
Of course, there are also many online versions of jigsaw puzzles, and aside from never losing a piece there is also zero cleanup involved! In some puzzle games you don't have to rotate the pieces, they will already be oriented the right way, but in other games you will have to click the pieces to turn them. You can play easy puzzles and more difficult games, casual play or timed puzzle challenges. Check out the massive puzzle overview at Games.co.za and pick your favourite ones to play!
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