International Sudoku Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about Dell Magazines

International Sudoku Day occurs on September 9 (9/9), as expected. Undoubtedly, Sudoku enthusiasts will note the date’s symbolism. The objective of Sudoku is to complete a 99 grid with numbers so that each column, row, and 33 subgrid contains every digit from 1 to 9. Therefore, the number nine-nine is a natural decision for the celebration date. Although today is unquestionably a day to celebrate, you will need to engage in some intensely logical reasoning.

The background of International Sudoku Day

In 1892, the French newspaper “La Siècle” published a game that was similar to Sudoku in that each row and column had to contain all of the prescribed numbers. However, unlike Sudoku, it involved numbers greater than nine and relied on the solvers’ mathematical skills rather than their logic centre. In the years that followed, other French newspapers introduced similar games, though none were exactly the same as Sudoku, and their popularity waned as World War I broke out.

Forward in time to 1979. Circumstantial evidence suggests that Indiana architect Howard Garns published a conundrum of his own creation (at the time titled “Number Place”) in “Dell Magazine” that would eventually become the game known as Sudoku. However, Garns did not live to see his creation become an international sensation. In the interim, the game ignited Japan’s puzzle industry, acquiring the name Sudoku and amassing a devoted following of millions of players. In 1997, Hong Kong judge Wayne Gould created a computer programme capable of generating original Sudoku puzzles. He pitched the game to U.K. newspapers as a daily puzzle feature, and shortly Sudoku became a worldwide phenomenon.

Today, Sudoku is extensively accessible on smartphone applications and in newspapers and magazines. It has been the subject of numerous documentaries and game programmes, as well as a Peter Levy song nominated for an award. We believe it’s fair to say that Sudoku is not going anywhere soon.

The World Puzzle Federation designated September 9 as International Sudoku Day in 2013, and we have been commemorating ever since.

5 OUTSTANDING FACTS REGARDING DELL MAGAZINES

Dell Publishing Company was founded in 1921 by New York-born George T. Delacorte, Jr., with the intention of entertaining readers who were tired of the often-ostentatious reading material of the time. This same attitude led Delacorte to erect statues of “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Tempest,” and “Romeo and Juliet” in his hometown.

The Dell subsidiary “Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine” has received 63 Locus Awards.

In “Dell Horoscope” magazine in 1979, astrologer Richard Nolle devised the term “supermoon” to describe a full moon that coincides or nearly coincides with perigee [its point in orbit closest to the earth].

Penny Publications, the present parent company of Dell Magazines, has its headquarters in Norwalk, Connecticut, which is also the hometown of conductor Vince Mendoza and baseball player Mo Vaughn.

The “Ellery Queen” of Dell predecessor Penny Press’ “Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine” was the pen name of mystery authors Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee, who co-wrote “The Roman Hat Mystery” under the name.

INTERNATIONAL SUDOKU DAY DATES