Will Shortz
The world's only academically certified enigmatologist, he has shaped the minds and mornings of millions as the crossword editor of The New York Times.
Born 1952 (age 74)·American puzzle creator and editor·Birthday: August 26·Baby Boomers
Biography
Will Shortz didn't just find a niche in the world of puzzles; he built an entire academic discipline around it. Growing up in Indiana, he began constructing puzzles as a teenager and sold his first one to a magazine at age 14. His passion was so specific that he persuaded Indiana University to let him design his own major, graduating in 1974 as the world's first and only holder of a degree in enigmatology. After editing at *Games* magazine, he was hired by The New York Times in 1993, where he revolutionized the crossword. Shortz modernized the puzzles, introducing contemporary vocabulary, pop culture, and clever, accessible themes, while maintaining a signature escalation in difficulty throughout the week. His weekly NPR puzzle segment made him a household voice, and his founding of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament turned solvers into a community. He is less a solver than a curator of cleverness, defining what it means to be clever in American culture for decades.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Will was born in 1952, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Will Was Born
The biggest hits of 1952
#1 Movie
The Greatest Show on Earth
Best Picture
The Greatest Show on Earth
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Will's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1952Born
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1957Started school
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1965Became a teenager
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Could drive
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1970Could vote
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Turned 21
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1982Turned 30
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1992Turned 40
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 50
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 60
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 70
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 74 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became the crossword puzzle editor for The New York Times in 1993, a position with immense cultural influence over the genre.
- Created and founded the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in 1978, the largest competition of its kind in the United States.
- Graduated from Indiana University with a self-designed degree in enigmatology, the study of puzzles, the first such degree ever awarded.
- Serves as the puzzle master for NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday, engaging millions of listeners with weekly brainteasers.
Did You Know?
He owns a collection of over 20,000 puzzle books and magazines, dating back to the 16th century.
Shortz is an avid table tennis player and built a regulation-sized table tennis court in his home.
He worked as a puzzle editor for *Games* magazine for 15 years before moving to the Times.
Every year, he attends the tournament in his honor disguised as a contestant before revealing himself at the start.
“A good puzzle should be challenging, but ultimately solvable. It should give you an 'Aha!' moment.”
