The Traveler… early Sodoku?…

July 2, 2018 by  
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Today’s journey took me to London, England, by the means of The Gentleman’s Magazine of July, 1768. I found an interesting plate entitled “A Magic Square of Squares” with an accompanying article “Surprising Properties of Numbers placed in Dr. Franklin’s Magic Square of Squares”. This is an interesting puzzle by Benjamin Franklin. “The great square is divided into 256 small squares, in which all the numbers from 1 to 256 are placed in 16 columns, which may be taken either horizontally or vertically. The properties are as follows: 1. The sum of the 16 numbers in each column vertical or horizontal, is 2056. 2. Every half column, vertical and horizontal, makes 1028, or half 2056. 3 Half a diagonal ascending, added to half a diagonal descending, makes 2056; taking these half diagonals from the ends of any side of the square to the middle thereof, and so reckoning them either upward or downward; or sidewise from left to right hand, or from right to left…”

The information continues with this sounding like a very early Sodoku puzzle!

~The Traveler

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Filed under: The 1500's - 1700's, The Hobby, Unusual, Fun & Bizarre
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