Fun Facts About the Rubik’s Cube

The Rubik's cube is one of the most instantly recognizable objects on earth. This deceptively simple but difficult to solve cube shaped puzzle delights, and confounded, would-be solvers throughout the 1970S and quickly became a worldwide phenomenon.

Over the years, the Rubik's cube has been featured in television programs, feature films and countless newspaper and magazine articles. There were Rubik's cube tournaments in which people competed for cash prizes and bragging rights, and some individuals learned to solve the puzzle in less than 30 seconds.

Chances are you are already familiar with the Rubik's cube, from its classic shape to its colorful tiles. But you may not know these pieces of trivia surrounding what may be the most famous puzzle the world has ever known.

1. The Rubik's cube gets its name from inventor Emo Rubik, who created the cube to help people understand three-dimensional geometry.
2. The Rubik's cube was invented in Budapest in 1974.
3. It took the inventor of the Rubik's cube a full month to solve the puzzle he had just created.
4. Before he finally solved it, inventor Emo Rubik worried that the puzzle may not be solvable.
5. The original manufacturer considered calling the puzzle the Gordian Knot, but decided to go with Rubik's cube instead.
6. The Rubik's cube was designed to help architecture students visualize in three dimensions.
7. You can buy a modern-day Rubik's cube that doubles as an MP3 player.
8. If you are hungry, you can purchase, and eat, an edible Rubik's cube.
9. If you are a Rubik's cube aficionado, you might want to stop by Knoxville, Tennessee. Knoxville is home to the largest Rubik's cube in the world, standing an impressive 6 feet tall and weighing in at over half a ton.
10. The Rubik's cube inspired an artistic movement, known appropriately enough as Rubikubism.
11. The Rubik's cube is a modern-day icon, inspiring fashion movements, plays and famous works of art.
12. The Rubik's cube has caused its own maladies, known variously as Rubik's wrist and cubist's thumb.
13. There are 43 quadrillion possible combinations of colors and spaces on the Rubik's cube.
14. Many people have cheated by removing the colored stickers from their Rubik's cubes and reapplying them.
15. If money is no object, you could buy the Masterpiece Cube, a Rubik's cube featuring rubies, amethyst and emeralds. This creation is thought to be worth some 1.5 million dollars.
16. The Rubik's cube is the most popular toy in the world, with some 350 million units sold worldwide.
17. By the mid-198os, some 20 percent of the world's population had attempted to solve Rubik's cube.
18. The world record cube-solving time currently stands at just over 7 seconds.