Snapshot · Freakonomics Radio
In 1924, the New York Times published an editorial calling crossword puzzle mania a 'sinful waste,' a stark contrast to the 11.2 billion plays its puzzles now receive annually.
Where this was said
At 30:08 · chapter starts 29:55
The Times' anti-game past is one of the episode's richest ironies. While rival paper the New York World published the first modern crossword in 1913, the Grey Lady published an editorial in 1924 calling crossword mania a 'sinful waste' akin to mahjong set overpricing. Dubner reads the passage aloud with evident pleasure. Then, 18 years later, the paper reversed course entirely: 11 days after the Pearl Harbor attack, Sunday editor Lester Markle wrote to publisher Arthur Sulzberger arguing that the country needed a puzzle to occupy the 'bleak blackout hours.' The NYT crossword launched in February 1942. Hardiman links that founding logic — using games to keep minds engaged during crisis — directly to the present moment, noting the parallel between wartime anxiety and today's geopolitical turbulence. Last year, the Times' puzzles were played 11.2 billion times.
NYT Games puzzles were played 11.2 billion times in a single year, illustrating the staggering scale of the Times' gaming audience.
The NYT launched its crossword puzzle in February 1942, 11 days after Pearl Harbor, explicitly to give the public mental engagement during wartime anxiety.
Eleven days after Pearl Harbor, the NYT's Sunday editor wrote a memo arguing for a crossword puzzle to give the public mental engagement during bleak blackout hours. The same logic applies today.
By his own account, Giacomo Casanova slept with over 120 women and contracted venereal disease 11 times — a life of extreme aesthetic indulgence that ended in total isolation.
Joel de la Garza noted that the CISO role is a relatively recent invention, with Steve Katz widely credited as the first-ever CISO.
Superficial adoption of electricity gave factories only 6% efficiency gains; fully redesigning factories around it delivered a 3x productivity improvement that powered 20th-century US growth.
Harold Ramis recounted that during Caddyshack filming, storms kept the cast cooped up in a Florida hotel for days, during which they partied and did drugs all day and night.
In the 1820s, China accounted for 25% of global economic output, making it the world's largest economic machine — a historical precedent for its current AI superpower ambitions.
66 Americans held hostage at the US Embassy in Iran were released after 444 days, within hours of Reagan's inauguration.
In the first round of the secret arms deal, 508 TOW missiles were transferred from Israel to Iran in exchange for hostage releases.
America secretly transferred 2,000 missiles and missile parts to Iran across 8 separate shipments over just over a year.
Despite all the missile sales, only 3 of the 7 American hostages held by Lebanese terrorists were ultimately released.
We use essential and analytics cookies to run Vuci. To understand how the site is used: Privacy Policy.
Install Vuci on your phone
Add it to your home screen for a faster, app-like experience.
Install Vuci on your phone
Tap the Share button, then “Add to Home Screen”.
A new version is available
Reload to get the latest Vuci.