The first commercial jigsaw puzzle was produced around 1760 by John Spilsbury, a London engraver and mapmaker. He attached a map to a piece of wood and then cut out each country. Teachers used Spilsbury's puzzles to teach geography.

In the first decade of the 20th century, wooden jigsaw puzzles were a popular form of adult entertainment rivaling bridge and lawn bowling. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, mass-produced, die-cut cardboard jigsaw puzzles were an important source of family entertainment.

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