A strange little side quest
Put Russian is Easy next to the history of puzzles and a few unexpected connections appear. Alexey Pajitnov created Tetris in 1984 after drawing inspiration from pentomino puzzles, then simplified the idea around shapes made from four squares. The broader history adds one more wrinkle. The Oregon Trail began in 1971 when three student teachers created a computer simulation to help Minnesota schoolchildren learn American history. It is a good reminder that simple game mechanics can carry a surprising amount of history.
