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Jigsaws Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Jigsaws Quizzes, Trivia

Jigsaws Trivia

Jigsaws Trivia Quizzes

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Keeping busy for many hours with a large number of printed and die-cut cardboard pieces is a special, almost meditative form of playing a solitaire game but few can resist the ultimate satisfaction and rush when finally, a complete picture emerges from the fragments once haphazardly strewn about. Enjoy jigsaw puzzle trivia!
2 Jigsaws quizzes and 20 Jigsaws trivia questions.
1.
  Puzzling Pieces - The History of the Jigsaw    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Jigsaw puzzles are still very popular today. Much of the puzzle's early success was in America. Join me for a charming journey down Memory Lane and discover how this entertaining pastime has evolved.
Tough, 10 Qns, Nannanut, Jan 16 14
Tough
Nannanut
1340 plays
2.
  History Of The Jigsaw Puzzle    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Jigsaw puzzles are a popular pastime...a great way to reduce stress...a harmless addiction !
Tough, 10 Qns, catnippin, Aug 20 16
Tough
catnippin
959 plays

Jigsaws Trivia Questions
1. The origin of jigsaw puzzles can be traced back to the 1760s. Which profession was responsible for providing the inspiration for what has become a very popular pastime?

From Quiz Puzzling Pieces - The History of the Jigsaw

Answer: Mapmakers

European mapmakers created a "dissected map" by pasting maps onto wood and then cutting the assembly into small pieces. The one man generally attributed with making the very first such map was John Spilsbury. The jigsaw map is used even today as an educational tool. Children still learn geography by completing map jigsaw puzzles.

2. It is generally agreed that the first jigsaw puzzle was produced around 1760 by John Spilsbury of London. What was his occupation?

From Quiz History Of The Jigsaw Puzzle

Answer: engraver and mapmaker

Spilsbury mounted one of his maps on a sheet of hardwood and cut around the borders of the countries using a fine-bladed marquetry saw. The end product was an educational pastime, designed as an aid in teaching British children their geography!

3. The name "jigsaw" has been applied to the puzzle as a tribute to the way the pieces were cut. All the original puzzles were made of wood and were cut with a saw - but not a jig saw. What type of saw was actually used?

From Quiz Puzzling Pieces - The History of the Jigsaw

Answer: A fret saw

The treadle saw which was introduced in 1880 made puzzle production easier. A fret saw was actually used in the cutting of the puzzle pieces - the set up itself was called a saw jig. Plywood was used towards the end of the 19th century and pictures were either glued or painted on the front of the wood. The maker would then trace in pencil on the back to indicate where the saw cuts should be made. Very old wooden puzzles can still show remnants of pencil markings.

4. Up until about 1880, jigsaw puzzles were known as... ?

From Quiz History Of The Jigsaw Puzzle

Answer: dissections

With the introduction of the treadle saw in 1880 what had previously been called 'dissections' came to be known as jigsaw puzzles, although they were actually cut by a fretsaw, not a true jigsaw.

5. In the early 1900's, both wooden and cardboard jigsaw puzzles were available. Which type was preferred by manufacturers and retailers?

From Quiz History Of The Jigsaw Puzzle

Answer: wooden&wood

Manufacturers were convinced that customers would not be interested in 'cheap' cardboard puzzles. Of course, a second motivation on their part was that the profit from a wooden puzzle, which might sell for $1.00, was far greater than for a cardboard puzzle, which would usually sell for about 25 cents.

6. When was the Golden Age of jigsaw puzzles?

From Quiz History Of The Jigsaw Puzzle

Answer: 1920's - 1930's

With the onset of the Great Depression in 1929, puzzles for adults enjoyed a resurgence of popularity, peaking in early 1933 when sales reached an astounding 10 million per week! Puzzles offered an escape from the troubled times, as well as an opportunity to succeed in a modest way. Completing a jigsaw puzzle gave a sense of accomplishment that was hard to come by when the unemployment rate was climbing above 25 percent.

7. In mid-1932 there was a vogue for what type of puzzle?

From Quiz History Of The Jigsaw Puzzle

Answer: advertising puzzles

Retail stores offered free puzzles with the purchase of a toothbrush, a flashlight, or hundreds of other products. What better way to keep a brand name before the public than to have customers working for hours to assemble a picture of the product?

8. It was during the years of the Depression that the jigsaw was most popular. The puzzle was cheap recyclable entertainment and became widely available. What public institutions joined the craze by making the puzzles available to even more people?

From Quiz Puzzling Pieces - The History of the Jigsaw

Answer: Public libraries

Public libraries joined the jigsaw craze by offering puzzles for rental at 3c to 5c a day - depending on size. Drugstores also had similar deals and so puzzles became accessible to almost everyone.

9. The autumn of 1932 brought a novel concept, the weekly jigsaw puzzle. The die-cut 'Jig of the Week' retailed for 25 cents and appeared on the news stands on which day of the week?

From Quiz History Of The Jigsaw Puzzle

Answer: Wednesday

People rushed to buy them and to be the first among their friends to solve that week's puzzle. There were dozens of weekly series including 'Picture Puzzle Weekly', 'B-Witching Weekly', 'Jiggers Weekly', and 'Movie Cut-Ups' featuring popular films.

10. With improvements in lithography and die-cutting, cardboard puzzles became more attractive, especially when which American jigsaw puzzle producer introduced high quality reproductions of fine art on jigsaws?

From Quiz History Of The Jigsaw Puzzle

Answer: Springbok

In 1965 hundreds of Americans struggled to assemble Jackson Pollock's 'Convergence', billed by Springbok as 'the world's most difficult jigsaw puzzle'.

11. Experimentation with pop-up figure pieces led to what kind of jigsaw puzzle?

From Quiz History Of The Jigsaw Puzzle

Answer: three-dimensional puzzles

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