History of the Jigsaw Puzzle Its generally agreed that London
print shop owner and map maker, John Spilsbury created the first
jigsaw puzzle, about 1760. He mounted a map onto mahogany, and
cut along the borders of the countries, as a way to teach
children about geography. Early puzzles were called dissections.
The introduction of the treadle saw in 1880, saw the name change
to the now familiar jigsaw puzzle. Jigsaw puzzles remained
primarily a teaching tool until they moved into the adult
market, about 1907. By 1908 a full blown craze had developed
starting in the Eastern United States. The golden age of jigsaw
puzzles started in the 1920's peaking in 1933. The onset of the
Great Depression in 1929 caused people to spend more time at
home, and completing a jigsaw puzzle gave a feeling of
accomplishment. Something that was hard to come by at that time.
This was also the first time that puzzles were used for
advertising purposes - a tooth brush company was the first to
supply free puzzles for druggists to give