Sudoku is a number placement puzzle. The aim of the puzzle is to enter a number from 1 through 9 in each cell of a grid, frequently a 9×9 grid made up of 3×3 subgrids (called "regions"), starting with various numbers given in some cells (the "givens"). Each row, column and region must only contain one instance of each number. Completing the puzzle requires only patience and modest logical ability, although some puzzles can be fiendishly difficult. Its classic grid layout is reminiscent of other newspaper puzzles such as crosswords and chess. Sudoku initially became immensely popular in Japan in 1986 and in the UK, Israel, and Canada in 2005, stimulating international interest.
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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1190: Third Crusade: Frederick I Barbarossa drowned in a river in Anatolia while leading an army to Jerusalem. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_I%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor)
1829: Oxford beat Cambridge in the first Boat Race. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boat_Race)
1864: Confederates defeated a much larger Union force at the Battle of Brice's Crossroads. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Brice%27s_Crossroads)
1935: Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in Akron, Ohio. This is the traditional date of the first day of sobriety of the co-founder of AA, Dr. Bob Smith. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholics_Anonymous)
_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:
"A novel is balanced between a few true impressions and the multitude of false ones that make up most of what we call life. It tells us that for every human being there is a diversity of existences, that the single existence is itself an illusion in part, that these many existences signify something, tend to something, fulfill something; it promises us meaning, harmony and even justice." -- Saul Bellow (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Saul_Bellow)