Antedating of "Outside the Box" (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Mullins, Bill AMRDEC]

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

Thanks, Dan.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
Behalf Of
> Dan Goncharoff
> Sent: Monday, July 02, 2012 12:53 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: Antedating of "Outside the Box" (UNCLASSIFIED)
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
----------------------
> -
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Antedating of "Outside the Box" (UNCLASSIFIED)
>
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> -
>
> New Yorker story is from August 20, 2007 issue:
> "Parallel Play" by Tim Page
> DanG
>
>
> On Mon, Jul 2, 2012 at 1:25 PM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC <
> Bill.Mullins at us.army.mil> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       "Mullins, Bill AMRDEC" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL>
> > Subject:      Re: Antedating of "Outside the Box" (UNCLASSIFIED)
> >
> >
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> ---
> >
> > Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> > Caveats: NONE
> >
> > Reviving an old thread . .  .
> >
> > A Google Books search for "think outside the box"  (delimited to
1900 -
> > 1990) yields a snippet view of what purports to be a 1936 citation
from
> > _The New Yorker_.  I'd bet that the metadata here is screwed up.
But on
> > the off chance that it is correct (and if it is, this is a pretty
big
> > antedating), does anyone on the list have either the CD-ROM archives
or
> > a subscription to _The New Yorker_ that includes the online
archives,
> > and can you confirm the citation?
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Mullins, Bill AMRDEC
> > > Sent: Monday, May 03, 2010 6:10 PM
> > > To: Mullins, Bill AMRDEC; 'American Dialect Society'
> > > Cc: 'ZINGMAST at LSBU.AC.UK'; 'zingmast at sbu.ac.uk'
> > > Subject: RE: Antedating of "Outside the Box" (UNCLASSIFIED)
> > >
> > > Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> > > Caveats: NONE
> > >
> > > More circumstantial support for the "puzzle theory" origins of
> > "outside the
> > > box".
> > >
> > > Marjorie Van de Water "What to do about Thinking in a Rut" _Salt
Lake
> > Tribune_
> > > 1/10/1937 p 72 [syndicated by EveryWeek Magazine; also found in
Laredo
> > TX
> > > Times, Ogden UT Standard Examiner, Montana Butte Standard, and
other
> > > Newspaperarchive papers.]
> > >
> > > "The dot puzzle provides another example of how ironbound the
average
> > person's
> > > thinking is by preconceived ideas.  Perhaps you would like to try
it.
> > >
> > > [followed by illustrations.  Illo #1:  3 x 3 grid of dots.  Illo
#2
> > Array of
> > > dots with line going from center to top center; top center to top
> > right; top
> > > right to bottom right; bottom right to bottom left; bottom left to
top
> > left --
> > > 5 line segments in a clockwise spiral from center outward]
> > >
> > > Nine dots are arranged in the form of a square.  The problem is to
> > join these
> > > nine dots with a series of continuous straight lines without
taking
> > your
> > > pencil from the paper.  It is easy to connect the nine dots in the
> > form of a
> > > square with a series of five straight lines.  But can you do it
with
> > only four
> > > lines?   . . .
> > >
> > > The answers for these problems are given elsewhere on this page.
In
> > each case
> > > the solution depends upon ridding yourself of your original
notion.
> > >
> > > With the dots, if you had trouble with the problem it was probably
> > because you
> > > were trying to stay within the square with your lines.  The
wording of
> > the
> > > problem suggested this to you although a second reading will show
you
> > that
> > > nowhere is this requirement staled. Let your pencil go beyond the
> > limits of
> > > the square and you will have much less difficulty. . .
> > >
> > > [an illustration shows the solution]"
> > >
> > > While the phrase "outside of the box" does not appear in the
article,
> > > everything that connects the puzzle to the phrase does -- "fresh
> > angles",
> > > "keep your mind open", "stay within the square" and other
pertinent
> > phrases do
> > > show up.  Whoever originated the phrase may have read this
article, or
> > went
> > > through the same line of thinking.
> > >
> > >
> > > Also . . .
> > >
> > > Advertisement [for the book _How to make a habit of success_ by
> > Bernard
> > > Haldane, on sale at Brentano's bookstore] _New York Times_,
11/10/1960
> > col 1
> > >
> > > "Are You Boxing Yourself In? [3 x 3 grid of dots]  In this book
the
> > author
> > > uses the diagram above as a simple test* to show how many people
are
> > putting
> > > stumbling blocks in their own path by the way they THINK.
> > >
> > > *the test is a simple one, just join all nine dots with four
straight
> > lines
> > > without taking your pencil from the paper"
> > >
> > >
> > > Also . .  .
> > > "From priest to professional" By Heather Firehock _The Washington
> > > Post_(Potomac Magazine Section) Nov 14, 1971; p 37 col 1
> > > "The "class" is asked, for instance, to connect nine dots arranged
in
> > a three-
> > > by-three square, using only four straight lines and without
lifting
> > the pencil
> > > from the paper.  [picture of 3x3 grid of dots]
> > > Seldom can anyone do it.  The trick is to let the lines go beyond
the
> > square -
> > > - get outside the box.  It's a mind-opening exercise.  Everyone
wants
> > to stay
> > > within the artificial confines of the box -- which in fact does
not
> > exist even
> > > on paper."
> > >
> > >
> > > The puzzle also appears in an article on Creative Thinking in the
Oct
> > 1960
> > > Reader's Digest.
> > > Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> > > Caveats: NONE
> > >
> >
> > Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> > Caveats: NONE
> >
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> >
>
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Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

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