A strange little side quest
Put Shanghai Dynasty next to the history of puzzles and a few unexpected connections appear. The first crossword puzzle book appeared in 1924 in a cautious initial printing of 3,600 copies, complete with a free pencil. And the history keeps stacking up: In 1958, Tennis for Two used an analog computer and an oscilloscope to turn simple physics into a playable tennis-like demonstration. That history is one reason familiar mechanics can still feel new when they are recombined well.
