Games and Competition
Google Doodle Celebrates Rubik’s Cube 40th Birthday
For its 40th Birthday, the cube goes digital
Architects Give the Classic Chess Set a Radical Makeover
The designer behind the traditional kings and queens would resign if he saw these avant-garde game boards
Mathematicians Say Candy Crush Really Is Hard
You can feel better about your obsession with Candy Crush. The game isn’t just mindless swiping; it's an actually difficult math problem.
How Merv Griffin Came Up With That Weird Question/Answer Format for Jeopardy!
Champion Ken Jennings delves into what gives the virtually unchanged game show its lasting power
What is Garry Kasparov's Next Move?
The great chess champion brings his knowledge to the games of Sochi, global politics and computer intelligence
What's a 9-Letter Word for a 100-Year-Old Puzzle?
The crossword puzzle turns 100 this week -- here's how it rose to popularity
The Strange and Mysterious History of the Ouija Board
Tool of the devil, harmless family game—or fascinating glimpse into the non-conscious mind?
Disney Kills LucasArts, My Childhood
When LucasArts was first starting out in the 1980s, the future of video games included holograms, virtual reality headsets and worldwide networking
What Does Citizen Kane Have to Do With Mass Effect 2?
Modern games find inspiration in the techniques of classic film noir
The Murky History of Foosball
How did the tabletop game get from parlor halls in 19th-century Europe to the basements of American homes?
Gamblers Take Note: The Odds in a Coin Flip Aren't Quite 50/50
And the odds of spinning a penny are even more skewed in one direction, but which way?
Crockford’s Club: How a Fishmonger Built a Gambling Hall and Bankrupted the British Aristocracy
A working-class Londoner operated the most exclusive gambling club the world has ever seen
Post Script: How I Constructed the Great American History Puzzle
Post Script: How I Constructed the Great American History Puzzle
Hints and Honors
The Great American History Puzzle lives on! Now complete with helpful hints and full explanations of answers! Plus, our Honor Roll of solvers
Congratulations to (drum roll…) Jeffrey Davidson!
I'm pleased to announce the winner of the Smithsonian's Great American History Puzzle
Victory
The contest part of the Great American History Puzzle is officially over! I think the ninth puzzle was a lot of fun, however, so I hope you take a shot at it even if there's no grand prize on the table anymore.
It All Comes Down To This
It's been a long hunt through some of the darkest corners of the Smithsonian vaults, but the light at the end of the tunnel is at hand
The Last Row
But at least two of the last three puzzles in the grid (including today's!) may be among the hair-pullingest yet. I'm not a sadist, mind you. I genuinely think you'll have fun with them.
Don’t fold now!
We're past the midpoint of the Great American History Puzzle now, friends. By this point, the plot has thickened. For some of you, I'm guessing, it's positively congealed.
The Rise and Fall and Rise of the Chemistry Set
Banning toys with dangerous acids was a good idea, but was the price a couple generations of scientists?
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