Puzzle, TRI'-N'-DO-IT
date: label: date made
content: ca 1940
notes: label: Description
content: John D. Boyle (1891-1968), an English-born New York advertising executive who lived in Greenwich, Connecticut, patented several mechanical puzzles.. At least two of these were produced, including this one, which sold under the name TRI'-N'-DO-IT. The puzzle consists of three wooden cylinders held together by three wooden dowels and a shaped metal piece. The goal of the puzzle is to take apart the pieces.
label: Description
content: A mark on one of the cylinders reads: TRI'-N'-DO-IT (/) TR.MK. (/) US PAT 2207778 (/) IT COMES APART (/) WITHOUT FORCE. Boyle applied for a patent for this puzzle August 30, 1939, and received it July 16, 1940.
label: Description
content: Compare MA.333295 and MA.333289.
label: Description
content: References:
label: Description
content: John D. Boyle, “Puzzle,” U.S. Patent 2,207,778, August 30, 1939.
label: Description
content: “John D. Boyle, 77, Ex-Head of an Advertising Agency,” <I>New York Times</I>, May 30, 1968, p. 25.
label: Description
content: Jerry Slocum and Jack Botermans, <I>Puzzles Old & New: How to Make and Solve Them</I>, Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1986, p. 52.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: Subject
content: Mathematics
label: Subject
content: Mathematical Recreations
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
label: See more items in
content: Science & Mathematics
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Edith R. Meggers
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MA.335295
label: catalog number
content: 335295
label: accession number
content: 314637
objectType: label: Object Name
content: puzzle
label: Object Name
content: Puzzle
label: Object Name
content: puzzle
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2 cm x 8.25 cm x 7.5 cm; 25/32 in x 3 1/4 in x 2 15/16 in