Ernö Rubik

The Rubik's Cube is one of the most challenging and addictive puzzles of all time, with over 300 million copies sold worldwide. But where did this magical toy come from? It all started in the imagination of Ernö Rubik. Rubik — an architect and professor from Budapest, Hungary — was interested in geometry, 3D forms, and games. In 1974, as he pondered how objects transform in space over time, he generated the concept for one of the most mentally challenging puzzles to date: the Rubik's Cube. This colorful mechanical puzzle, which he originally dubbed the "Magic Cube," allowed for 43 quintillion possible arrangements. He found that the Cube had instantaneous appeal, and generated a compulsion to play it. While it was challenging to produce and distribute the toy in communist Hungary, Rubik persevered. The Cube's popularity grew slowly throughout Hungary, however, by 1980, word had spread far enough to gain the interest of Ideal Toys. Rubik made a deal with Ideal Toys, who renamed the toy "Rubik's Cube" and released it internationally. The rest is history!