Puzzles are a great mental activity which can help pass the time, relax and comfort, and stimulate the brain.

Jigsaw Puzzles

The first jigsaw puzzle dates back to 1760 and English school teacher John Spillsbury when he was looking for a new way to teach geography. For more on the history of the Jigsaw puzzle, visit the American Jigsaw Puzzle Society.

Today, Jigsaw puzzles are for all ages, come in all sizes and all types of artwork. Some are extremely challenging with 3D features or even completely blank pieces with no picture at all.

Puzzlepoint.com is a great online source for traditional Jigsaw puzzles. For those of you who are creative, you can even purchase blank, already together, jigsaw puzzles to draw on from compozapuzzle.com

Crossword Puzzles

The Crossword puzzle came along in 1913 when journalist Arthur Wynn published the first crossword puzzle in the newspaper New Yor World. Since then, crosswords have become an obsession for millions, especially on those long bus and train commutes to work.

Check out our Crossword Puzzles section for a daily puzzle, recommended puzzle books and magazines, an online crossword dictionary and information about crossword puzzle tournaments.

Brain Teasers

Another category of puzzles is the brain teasers. Remeber Rubik's Cube? That huge sensation. Well, the cube and many variations are still with us, but ths only scratches the surface of great brain teasers.

If you are looking for some teasers to wrap your brain around, consider WordJuxtapoz for some creative mind puzzles.