Over a period of 24 years (January 1957 – December 1980), Martin Gardner wrote 288 consecutive monthly "Mathematical Games" columns for Scientific American magazine.
During the next 5+1⁄2 years, until June 1986, Gardner wrote 9 more columns, bringing his total to 297.
In 1981, Gardner's column alternated with a new column by Douglas Hofstadter called "Metamagical Themas" (an anagram of "Mathematical Games").
[3] Gardner wrote 5 other articles for Scientific American.
His flexagon article in December 1956 was in all but name the first article in the series of Mathematical Games columns and led directly to the series which began the following month.