Who is the creator of the Rubik’s Cube? Here’s what you need to know

Erno Rubik, who invented the Rubik’s Cube in 1974, celebrates his 78th birthday on July 13. Photo Courtesy: istock

The multicoloured cube has been baffling people for a long time now. Over the years, there have been several people who have even got it right and in the shortest amount of time too. Records have been set and broken and the cube still continues to puzzle many of us. These are people who are trying to get the colours right and even go on to complex versions.

Interestingly, many may not know that the puzzle was actually invented by Hungarian inventor Ernő Rubik in 1974. Rubik celebrates his 78^th birthday on July 13. On the occasion of his birthday, here are some unique facts about the Hungarian inventor.

Birth and education

Ernő Rubik was born on July 13, 1944 to Ernő Rubik, a flight engineer and Magdolna Szántó, a poet, living in Hungary. Over the years, the inventor has said that he got most of his inspiration from his father, who was known to work with gliders (fixed winged aircraft). In his early years, Rubik studied sculpture and then taught different verticals in architecture before starting work as a professor in the same subject at the Budapest College of Applied Arts.

Origin of the Rubik's Cube

It was at the Budapest college that the Hungarian started work on making a three-dimensional puzzle and completed the first prototype in 1974. He applied for a patent a year later. Rubik had invented the puzzle to teach his students about 3D objects. Interestingly, the modern-day Rubik's Cube is very different from the original one made by the professor. He used wood and elastic bands to hold the cube together unlike the plastic one today. While the cube was known as a Magic Cube in Hungary, after Rubik licensed the cube to US toy manufacturer Ideal Toys in 1979, they changed it to Rubik's Cube.

Other Inventions

Apart from the Rubik's Cube which made the Hungarian inventor famous, he has also created other games over the years. Like the Rubik's Cube, he also invented Rubik's Magic in the mid-1980S. It is a mechanical puzzle with eight black square tiles in a 2x4 rectangle and the goal is to unearth the complete design on it.

He also invented Rubik's Snake in 1981 at a time when the Rubik's Cube was becoming really popular around the world. Interestingly, the Hungarian inventor said that the Snake wasn't supposed to be solved but to be used as a tool to try out as many combinations as one can. Over 25 years later in 2009, he invented Rubik's 360, another 3D mechanical puzzle that involves moving six balls from the central sphere to the colour-coded compartments in the outer sphere. It has only one solution.

Awards

During his ongoing career, Rubik has won many awards and some of the most notable include getting the Toy of the Year in 1980, 1981 and 1982. In 2007, he was also given the Kossuth Prize, regarded to be the most prestigious cultural award in Hungary. Rubik also got the Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen, which is the highest Hungarian state honour, in 2014.

The Rubik's Cube became a part of the permanent collection at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York in 1982 and has been there ever since.

Numbers game

As of 2021, over 450 million Rubik's Cubes have been sold making it the bestselling toy of all time. Over the years, there are many different types of Rubik's cube versions that have been made but the most popular is the standard 3x3x3 version.

Interestingly, the first time the Hungarian inventor created the cube, he took a month to solve it. Currently, the world record time taken to solve the 3x3x3 is 3.47 seconds and is held by Du Yusheng of China, who did it at the Wuhu Open 2018. This is only one of many records that have been created over the years. American Max Park is another popular name in the world of Rubik cube solvers, as he is a speedcuber who holds the world record average of five 3x3x3 solves. Indian Mohammad Aiman Koli also features among the record holders for solving it with his feet in 15.56 seconds in 2019.

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