Most historians credit John Spilsbury, a London cartographer, with inventing the jigsaw puzzle around the 1760s. He mounted maps on wood and cut them into pieces to teach geography. The idea spread, first as educational toys, then as leisure puzzles.
Timeline
- 1760s — Wooden “dissected maps”.
- Late 1800s — Fretsaws/jigsaws improve cutting precision.
- 20th century — Mass‑market cardboard puzzles become affordable.
- Today — Digital jigsaws on the web and mobile.