If your schooling was similar to mine, you were taught every good report must cover the 5 Ws. In today's blog we are going to do just that. So here's a little jigsaw history...
- WHO is credited with inventing the first jigsaw puzzle? - John Spilsbury, an engraver and mapmaker, was a former apprentice of the royal geographer and is credited with the invention from a commercial perspective. Lady Charlotte Finch, governess to young King George III, is believed to have originated the concept.
- WHAT - For the early jigsaw puzzles, a map was drawn, pasted, or painted on top of a piece of wood that was then cut into small pieces using a saw (scroll or Marquette).
- WHEN was the 1st jigsaw invented? - The mid-1700s was a period of great exploration and colonization. The year credited with the first jigsaw invention is right in the midst of that period, around 1760-1767.
- WHERE was the 1st jigsaw invented? - John Spilsbury was an engraver and mapmaker in London, England. His first jigsaw was reported to be a map of England mounted on mahogany board.
- WHY were jigsaws used? - The early jigsaws were mostly used as teaching aids for the subjects of cartography and geography. They were primarily used as educational tools for the rich and elite as preparation for foreign invasions and focused on the British Empire.
References:
http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/08/01/britain.jigsaw/index.html
https://thetoyreport.com/blog/history-of-jigsaw-puzzles/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/piecing-together-the-history-of-jigsaw-puzzles/