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BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CUBE

Every invention has an official birth date. For the Cube this date is 1974 when the first working prototype came into being and a patent application was drafted. The place was Budapest, the capital of Hungary. The inventor's name is now a household word. At the time, Erno Rubik was a lecturer in the Department of Interior Design at the Academy of Applied Arts and Crafts in Budapest.

Although 1974 marks the inauguration of the Cube, the processes that led to the invention began a few years earlier, nor was the identity of the inventor a fortuitous accident. Erno Rubik had a passionate interest in geometry, in the study of 3D forms, in construction and in exploring the hidden possibilities of combinations of forms and material in theory and in practice.

In the course of his teaching, Erno Rubik preferred to communicate his ideas by the use of actual models, made from paper, cardboard, wood or plastic, challenging his students to experiment by manipulating clearly constructed and easily interpreted forms. It was the realization that even the simplest elements, cleverly duplicated and manipulated, yield an abundance of multiple forms that was the first step on the long road that led finally to the Cube. . Erno had applied for a Hungarian patent for the Magic Cube in 1975, the first test batches were notproduced until late 1977.

Although possibly the most original of all invented puzzles, the Cube was not created in a vacuum. Its classical antecedents are great puzzles in their own right. The Tangram, originating from ancient China, merely consists of 5 triangles, a square and a parallelogram, simple elements that yield a multitude of interesting figures. The Pentomino, invented by Solomon W Golomb, has 12 different elements, each one made up of five squares joined together, displaying all the possible configurations of the five combined squares. Pentomino poses the fascinating geometric problem

Editorial Review Even if you've been living on Mars since the 1970s, you've probably heard of Rubik's Cube, the bestselling puzzle in history. Just in case, though, here's a recap: it's a 3-by-3-by-3-inch cube with rotating faces made up of nine squares that can be scrambled into (so it's said) 43 quintillion combinations. Getting the cube back to its original position (so that all nine squares of the same color make up each face) is incredibly challenging for most, though it can be mastered and solved. For those not gifted with superhuman spatial intuition, this mindbender comes with a solution hints booklet, which examines the cube's properties and offers clues for solving the puzzle. Whether it's a difficult toy or retro '80s kitsch you're seeking, Rubik's Cube is for you. --Rob Lightner



Customer Reviews

Rubiks Cube Posted 03 September 2008
We received the cube in good condition. My only complaint was that the picture shown for the cube was like we had from years ago, It shows a photo of the cube in the middle with the Rubik name above it and the cube name below it. however, when we received it, it was the cube with the rubiks cube photo in the middle and the name of the cube written over the cube. In other words we ordered it based upon what the picture showed it would look like, but when we received it, it was different.

Very very very very good puzzzle Posted 03 August 2008
even though im not a 'guienuss' (i probably spelled that wrong. ^.^ whoops) it was a very fun toy. i had even more fun by taking it apart and putting it back in the correct order. tehe.

Got this for my dad. Posted 31 July 2008
My dad learned to solve this some 20 years ago, and has taught tons of people, including me how to solve them. Unfortunately, he keeps giving them away to the people he teaches, or he forgets them places. Amazon is a great place to get them, as they can be sold for insane prices in local stores.

Makes a great gift.

Great concept flawed by mass production market practices Posted 27 July 2008
The rubiks cube is as timeless as can be. I great workout for the brain and requires high eye-hand coordination skills.

The only problem I have is the quality. The cubes have paper stickers on them for the various colors. The joint mechanism isn't very smooth.

And this is for an original product.

I would gladly pay double the price or even more if they brought out a Rubiks Cube Classic model which mimicked the original ones.

Those were great!

it lasted me about 2 months Posted 11 May 2008
i bought this cube around February and it lasted me about a month. the stickers started to peel within 3 days. but hell it's rubik's any real cuber knows that that is going to happen. just get some cubesmith stickers to replace them. i learned to solve on this one and it broke when my time was around 1:30. if you want to continue cubing then i would recommend getting a DIY cube. all in all i thought it was great just not that durable