By the RatzBrain Editorial Team | 8 Minute Read
The concept of magic squares, where numbers in each row and column sum to the same amount, dates back thousands of years to ancient China. These 'Lo Shu' squares were considered mystical. However, the modern 9x9 Sudoku grid as we know it has much more recent, albeit global, origins.
In the 18th century, Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler developed 'Latin Squares,' which shared the Sudoku rule of one number per row and column. It wasn't until 1979 that an American architect named Howard Garns published 'Number Place,' the direct precursor to Sudoku, in New York.
The game truly exploded in Japan in the 1980s under the name 'Sūji wa dokushin ni kagiru' (literally meaning 'the digits must be single'), which was shortened to Sudoku. It eventually traveled back westward, becoming a global staple for morning commuters and cognitive training fans alike.