Will Shortz, Crossword King

(originally aired April 24, 2017) Guest: Will Shortz, Editor of the New York Times Crossword, Puzzle Master for NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday The most prestigious of crossword puzzles turns 75 this year. It became a regular feature of the New York Times paper in 1942 after some debate over whether such frivolity was appropriate when America was at war. An editorial in the New York Times had called the puzzles a “sinful waste” of time. Can you imagine parents today being upset to see their child solving a crossword?  If you have ever spent any time agonizing over the notoriously difficult Saturday puzzle, you can thank Will Shortz.