It seems like everyone enjoys solving jigsaw puzzles, but have you ever wondered where they came from?

In the 1760s, John Spilsbury, a London mapmaker and engraver, created the first jigsaw puzzle. Spilsbury mounted one of his maps of Europe onto a wooden board and carefully cut out each country. The puzzle was designed as a teaching tool for geography classes. As students put the pieces together, they would learn how countries were connected to each other. Within two years he created puzzles in eight themes - the World, Europe, Africa, America, Asia, England and Wales, Ireland and Scotland. As Spilsbury's invention became more popular, jigsaw puzzles were used as aids with maps, genealogies, mathematical tables, biblical scenes and nursery rhymes.

Puzzles for adults appeared in 1900 and became popular in America in 1908. Solving jigsaws remained an activity for the wealthy as hand cut wooden jigsaw puzzles were expensive and beyond the means of an average worker.

Jigsaw puzzles were at the height of popularity during the Great Depression. Cardboard backing replaced wood and mass production cut the cost of puzzles making jigsaws a time-consuming and affordable pastime for an average family. The puzzles were die-cut using a machine that arbitrarily cut out the pieces. These "Jig of the Week" puzzles were sold in drugstores as advertisements for 25 cents and could be rented from libraries for three to ten cents depending on the size. Jigsaw puzzle sales reached an astounding ten million a week in 1933.

Now that you know the history of jigsaws, open up a puzzle and start putting it together!

References: Cabinet Magazine, British Library, Wikipedia, Autism Speaks

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Making a custom jigsaw puzzle is easy and affordable. With a few simple supplies and some common household tools, you can create your very own jigsaw puzzle.

For materials, you'll need some balsa wood, poster board, or thick cardboard that can be found at hobby stores for the back of the puzzle. Select a picture you would like to solve. Home photo and magazine covers work well. If you want to use a picture that has special value to you, make a copy of it and use the copy for the puzzle. You won't want to cut up your favorite photo. You can even create your own picture by painting one on the puzzle backing directly. You'll need some rubber cement and sharp scissors to cut out the pieces or a pen knife. Dull scissors won't cut well and will make your puzzle look sloppy. If you are using balsa wood, you may need a saw.

Now that you've gathered your materials, you can now make your puzzle. Think about what shape you would like you puzzle to be. Do you prefer a rectangle, square, circle or abstract shape? Cut your image to fit the piece of backing and in the shape you want. Paste your picture to the backing by applying an even layer of glue to the backing. Carefully place the image on top and smooth out the wrinkles. Let the glue dry for at least one hour before cutting out the pieces. Next, think about what you want the puzzle pieces to look like. Lightly draw your pieces over the dried image then carefully cut out the pieces using the scissors or pen knife.

Once all of your pieces are cut out you can now solve your homemade jigsaw puzzle! If your puzzle didn't turn out the way you wanted or if you aren't crafty, you can buy blank puzzles from Cobble Hill here.

Happy puzzling!

With the cost of stamps and cards always on the rise, it's becoming harder to mail a simple card telling someone you are thinking of them. Why not send them a jigsaw e-card instead? Jigsaw e-cards are free and you can include a personal message without having to lick a stamp. All you have to do is follow a few simple steps.

First, select an image of a puzzle you would like to send or upload your own picture here. Choose the "Send as E-card" option on the left navigation while playing the jigsaw puzzle.

Finally, fill out the required information and add a message. Select a puzzle cut for them to solve or let them pick their own.

Click "Send E-card" to send off your jigsaw e-card!