Crossword puzzles have a surprising history, controversial future

On a chilly January night in 1924, fledgling publisher Richard Simon was having dinner with his Aunt Wixie when she asked if he knew where she could buy a book of crossword puzzles. None existed.

At the time, the crossword was little more than a decade old and it had only appeared in newspapers, namely the New York World, where the puzzle — initially known as a “Word-Cross” until a typesetting error — was first printed in 1913 .

Aunt Wixie was out of luck, but her question had planted a seed. Simon left dinner and met with his business partner, Max Schuster. A crossword book seemed like it could be a potential winner, but the two feared being “hooted out of the publishing business.”

Their contacts at the New York World declared it “The worst idea since Prohibition.”

Fearing ruination