How to Play DateGuess

One real event from history every day. Five clues. One question: what year did it happen? A full round takes about 60 seconds.

The rules in four steps

1. 1 · Read Clue 1. Every puzzle opens with one sentence that sets the scene — an era, a place, a mood — without giving away the year.
2. 2 · Make a guess. Type any year from 1000 to 2026 and submit. You can guess straight after Clue 1 — solving on the first clue is the best possible score.
3. 3 · Follow the feedback. A wrong guess normally shows how many years earlier or later to try. If you are within three years, you see Close! instead. You still need the exact year to win.
4. 4 · Use the next clue. Each wrong guess automatically reveals the next clue, up to five clues. There is no separate reveal or skip button. Guess the exact year, or use all five guesses, to see the answer and the full story with a Wikipedia source link.

Scoring, streaks and saved progress

You have five guesses. Your score is the number of guesses you used to solve the puzzle: 1/5 is the best score, and X/5 means you used all five without finding the answer. Your guesses are saved in this browser so you can continue after a refresh or revisit a completed result. Clearing browser data removes this progress; it does not sync between devices.

Win on consecutive UTC days to build your current streak. Your longest streak keeps your best run. Before you finish today's puzzle, yesterday's streak stays active. Using all five guesses without a win, or missing a UTC day, breaks the current streak. Each day counts once; refreshing cannot add another win. Streaks are saved in this browser and are removed when you clear site data. Past results from before this feature was added are not backfilled.

After the round, copy your result or share it on X. The shared text includes the puzzle number, score and answer year, so it reveals the answer to anyone who has not played yet.

When the next puzzle drops

A new puzzle goes live every day at midnight UTC. After today's round, return tomorrow for the next one. The archive lists every past puzzle with all five clues, the answer and its historical background. These are answer pages to read, not rounds you can replay. Today's answer is not added until the next UTC day.

Three tips for new players

• Place the century first. Before narrowing down, ask: is this medieval, industrial, or internet age?
• Watch the clue order. Each wrong guess gives you another clue to help narrow down the year.
• Learn from the archive. Read past clues and historical backgrounds to see how events connect. The answers are visible immediately.