Sam Loyd
1841–1911 (age 70)
Puzzle inventor
Biography
Sam Loyd delighted generations of readers with cunning chess problems and inventive puzzles that tested both patience and imagination, earning him the title of the most celebrated recreational mathematician of his era.
Whether in magazines, newspapers, or books, he invited people from all walks of life to playfully wrestle with logic, proving that a simple riddle could spark laughter and lifelong fascination.