The History of Solitaire

Solitaire — known as Patience across much of Europe — is far more than a simple card game. Its history spans centuries, crosses continents, and intersects with royalty, technology, and popular culture in remarkable ways. Here is the full story.

Origins: 18th-Century Europe

The exact origin of Solitaire is lost to history. No single inventor is credited, and the game likely evolved gradually from various card-manipulation exercises popular in northern Europe during the 1700s.

Earliest References

• The first known written reference to a Patience game appears in a 1783 German book describing a card game played by a single player.
• Swedish and Danish texts from the same era describe similar games, suggesting the tradition may have developed in Scandinavia and spread southward.
• The word “Patience” — the European name for Solitaire — appears in French texts by the late 1700s.

The Cartomancy Connection

Early patience games were closely linked to fortune-telling (cartomancy). Players would lay out cards in specific patterns, and the outcome of the game was interpreted as a prediction. This occult connection gave Solitaire an air of mystique and contributed to its spread through European salons and parlors.

Napoleon and the French Connection

One of the most enduring legends in Solitaire history links the game to Napoleon Bonaparte. After his defeat at Waterloo in 1815, Napoleon was exiled to the remote island of St. Helena, where he spent his final years.

Historical accounts describe Napoleon playing card games during his exile, and several Solitaire variants bear his name — Napoleon at St. Helena, Napoleon’s Favorite, and Forty Thieves (sometimes called Napoleon). Whether Napoleon himself actually played these specific games is debated, but the association cemented Solitaire’s place in popular imagination.

The French connection runs deeper than Napoleon. By the early 1800s, patience games were fashionable in French society. The first comprehensive book of Solitaire rules — “Illustrated Games of Patience” — was published in France and later translated into English.

Victorian England: Solitaire Goes Mainstream

Solitaire crossed the English Channel in the mid-1800s and found an enthusiastic audience in Victorian England.

Lady Adelaide Cadogan

In 1870, Lady Adelaide Cadogan published Illustrated Games of Patience, one of the first English-language compendiums of Solitaire games. The book cataloged dozens of variants with detailed rules and illustrations, making the games accessible to a broad audience.

A Respectable Pursuit

Victorian society valued Solitaire as a respectable leisure activity — something that could be enjoyed alone without gambling or social impropriety. It was considered an exercise in patience, logic, and self-discipline, fitting neatly into Victorian ideals.

By the end of the 19th century, Solitaire was firmly established as one of the most popular card games in the English-speaking world.

The Klondike Gold Rush Connection

The variant most people know as “Solitaire” — Klondike — gets its name from the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896–1899 in Canada’s Yukon Territory.

Prospectors, isolated for long periods in frozen mining camps, passed the time with card games. The specific single-player game they favored became known as “Klondike.” Whether the game was truly invented there or simply popularized is unclear, but the name stuck and eventually became synonymous with Solitaire itself in North America.

Early 20th Century: Mass Popularity

By the early 1900s, Solitaire was a worldwide phenomenon:

• Hoyle’s Games and other rule books included extensive Solitaire sections.
• New variants proliferated — Spider, FreeCell, Pyramid, Canfield, and dozens more.
• Playing card manufacturers thrived, in part due to Solitaire’s demand for decks.
• The game was a staple in homes, dormitories, offices, and military barracks.

During World War I and World War II, Solitaire provided soldiers with a reliable form of solo entertainment during long periods of waiting.

1990: Windows Solitaire Changes Everything

The most transformative moment in Solitaire’s history came on May 22, 1990, when Microsoft released Windows 3.0 — bundled with a digital version of Klondike Solitaire.

The Intern Who Made History

Windows Solitaire was programmed by Wes Cherry, a Microsoft intern. The game was included not primarily as entertainment but as a teaching tool — it was designed to help users learn how to drag and drop with a mouse, a novel interaction in 1990.

Unintended Consequences

The educational purpose was quickly forgotten. Windows Solitaire became:

• The most-played computer game in the history of personal computing.
• A fixture of office culture — and a frequent target of workplace productivity debates.
• Many people’s first interaction with a computer beyond word processing.
• A cultural phenomenon referenced in movies, TV shows, and comics.

Microsoft later estimated that by the mid-2000s, Windows Solitaire had been played billions of times worldwide.

The Digital Evolution

FreeCell Arrives (Windows 95)

Microsoft added FreeCell to Windows 95 in 1995, introducing millions to this nearly-always-winnable variant. FreeCell’s inclusion created a new generation of Solitaire enthusiasts who preferred its deterministic, skill-based gameplay.

Spider Solitaire (Windows ME/XP)

Spider Solitaire joined the Windows lineup in 2000 (Windows ME) and was prominently featured in Windows XP (2001). Its multi-deck, same-suit-building mechanics offered a more complex challenge.

Microsoft Solitaire Collection (2012–Present)

In 2012, Microsoft consolidated its Solitaire games into the Microsoft Solitaire Collection, featuring Klondike, Spider, FreeCell, Pyramid, and TriPeaks. The collection introduced:

• Daily challenges and achievements
• Global leaderboards
• Xbox Live integration
• Eventually, a premium subscription model

As of 2025, the Microsoft Solitaire Collection has over 100 million active users.

The Mobile Era

The emergence of smartphones created another Solitaire revolution:

• App stores filled with hundreds of Solitaire apps from day one.
• Mobile Solitaire became one of the most downloaded and played game categories worldwide.
• The tactile swipe-and-tap interface proved even more intuitive than mouse-based play.
• Free-to-play models with ads became the dominant business model.

Today, Solitaire is among the top 10 most-played mobile game categories globally.

Solitaire’s Cultural Impact

Beyond gaming, Solitaire has left a mark on culture:

• Workplace culture: “Playing Solitaire at work” became a universal shorthand for procrastinating with a computer.
• Film and TV: Characters playing Solitaire often signify isolation, contemplation, or passing time.
• Language: “Patience” has entered idiomatic speech partly through the game’s influence.
• Computer literacy: Windows Solitaire taught millions of people to use a mouse — an underappreciated contribution to the digital revolution.

Timeline: Key Dates in Solitaire History

The Game That Endures

From handwritten rules in 18th-century parlors to algorithmic shuffles on modern smartphones, Solitaire has proven remarkably resilient. Its appeal — simplicity, solitude, and the satisfaction of a well-played game — transcends technology, language, and era.

Few games can claim to have taught an entire planet how to use a computer. Solitaire can.

Explore More

• Learn the rules that have stood for centuries: Solitaire Rules for Beginners
• Discover the variants that evolved over 200 years: Solitaire Variants
• See how digital play compares to physical cards: Online vs. Physical Solitaire