It is reputed to have been invented in China sometime around the late 18th century CE and then carried over to America and Europe by trading ships shortly after. It became very popular in Europe for a time, and then again during World War I.

How old are tangrams?

Invented in China approximately 200 years ago, a tangram is a two-dimensional re-arrangement puzzle created by cutting a square into seven pieces — seven geometric shapes called “tans” (Slocum et al 2003).

How were tangrams invented?

A Brief History of Tangrams. The Tangram Puzzle, the most famous of all the Chinese puzzle has a truly spectacular legend behind it. Reputed to have been invented during the Song Dynasty by a master glassmaker who had been commissioned to construct a pane of glass for the royal palace – as the first window for the King ...