An Obsession Called ‘Rubik’s Cube’

Rubik’s Cube was invented by Professor Emo Rubik in 1974, and was originally called ‘Buvuos Kocka’ - The Magic Cube.  Rubik worked in the Department of Interior Design at the Academy of Applied Arts and Crafts in Budapest, and designed the Cube as a teaching aid for three-dimensional geometry.

Taken fresh out of its original packaging, Rubik’s invention has sides individually colored green, white, yellow, blue, orange, and red.  It takes just seconds to twist the Cube and scatter the colors across all sides, and can lead to months of frustration for newcomers attempting to solve the puzzle.  

With just one way to return the puzzle to its original state, and more than forty-three quintillion ways to fail, the Cube became a worldwide obsession that has led to a recognised form of repetitive strain injury known as ‘Cubist’s Thumb’.

The first Rubik’s Cube went on sale in Hungary in 1977, and was launched on the worldwide market four years later by Hungarian actress, Zsa Zsa Gabor, at a lavish party in Hollywood.

Rubik’s invention won the German ‘Game of the Year’ award in 1980, and went on to sell more than 350 million units worldwide.  Within a few years, Rubik’s puzzle was a popular pastime in one out of every three American homes.

Unfortunately, for some people the Cube was more than just a satisfying pastime, and has been associated with mental breakdowns and marriage breakups.   In 1981, for instance, a German woman sued for divorce, citing the Rubik’s Cube as co-respondent, and claiming her husband came to bed too exhausted from playing with his Cube to even give her a cuddle.

In 1982, the first annual International Rubik’s Championships were held in Budapest to determine the world’s fastest ‘cuber’ as hobbyists came to be known.  Soon afterwards, numerous competitions were held all over the world to award prizes for speed and some more unusual challenges.  The World Cube Association, for example, hosts several offbeat competitions, one where contestants have to solve Rubik’s Cube using only one hand, another using just the feet.  There is even a competition to find the fastest person to solve the puzzle blindfolded.

Winner of the first official speed championship, Minh Thai, solved the puzzle in just 23 seconds.  In 2011, the world record dropped to 5.66 seconds.

From a basic puzzle, Rubik’s Cube has been used for many different purposes by academics, artists, and politicians.

Tom Davis, for instance, a research associate at Stanford University, says the Cube can be used to make mathematics more interesting for students of all ages.

As Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1992, John Major used the Cube on television to demonstrate complex political negotiations.  In 1981, a special Cube was issued to commemorate the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.

For its unique shape and stunning color combination, Rubik’s invention has inspired artists worldwide to create popular public works of art, such as the prominent Cube structure on the North Campus of the University of Michigan, and Tony Rosenthal’s spinning Alamo Cube in New York City.

So Rubik’s Cube is no longer just a puzzle, but part of our international heritage, having earned a place in the ‘Oxford English Dictionary’, and a permanent spot in the New York Museum of Modern Art.