ABSTRACT
The world’s first puzzle craze occurred almost 200 years ago, during the years 1817 and 1818, when transportation and communication consisted of sailing ships and horse-drawn carts and carriages. The Tangram, a seven-piece, put-together puzzle invented in China between 1796 and 1802, was taken to London on “China Trade” ships and soon became a fashionable puzzle craze in England, Europe, and America. This remarkable event was the world’s first puzzle craze. The Tangram is still popular and has been used in schools worldwide since the 1860s to help students learn, while having fun.
