Episode 309: Wordle and the History of Word Games

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss the historical significance of the current craze over the online game Wordle.

Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: 

• When a Brooklyn software engineer designed a word game as an act of love, he didn’t know Wordle would become an online phenomenon. Neil referred to this Smithsonian Magazine article on the history of the crossword puzzle and Niki to the history of mahjong.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia shared Stephanie H. Murray’s The Week article, “Politics Closed American Schools Last Year. Now Politics Are Keeping Them Open.”
• Neil recommended Emily Hopkins and Melissa Sanchez’ ProPublica article, “Chicago’s ‘Race-Neutral’ Traffic Cameras Ticket Black and Latino Drivers The Most.”
• Niki discussed John Ortved’s New York Times article, “That Cloud of Smoke is Not a Mirage.”