Rubik's Cube & puzzles
The history of the Rubik's Cube: from a classroom model to a world craze
How Ernő Rubik invented the cube in 1974 as a teaching tool, how it became the Magic Cube and then the Rubik's Cube, and how speedcubing and the World Cube Association grew from it.
The Rubik's Cube is one of the best-known toys in the world, and it began as a classroom model made by a Hungarian professor who wanted to explain three-dimensional movement to his students.
Ernő Rubik and the first cube
Ernő Rubik was a Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture in Budapest. In 1974 he built the first working cube as a teaching aid. He wanted a model that would let students see how objects move in space. The surprising thing was how to build a cube whose layers could turn without the whole thing falling apart, and Rubik solved this with an internal mechanism that holds the pieces together.
When he scrambled it, he found he could not solve it. He then worked out a method to put it back, and realised he had made a puzzle.
The Magic Cube
The first cubes went on sale in Hungary in 1977, under the name Magic Cube (Bűvös kocka in Hungarian). The cube was patented, and it soon became popular in Hungary, where the puzzle spread by word of mouth.
Going worldwide
In 1980, a toy company began selling the cube around the world under a new name, the Rubik's Cube. It became one of the best-selling toys of its time. People bought it, scrambled it and spent days trying to solve it. Books of solutions appeared, and clubs and competitions grew up around it.
The first World Championship was held in Budapest in 1982. Competitors solved the cube as fast as they could, and the idea of speedcubing was born.
The pause and the return
Interest fell after the first craze. The internet changed that. In the early 2000s, websites and online videos let cubers share methods, algorithms and times. New methods, such as CFOP, were refined and taught online, and cubes became smoother and faster.
The World Cube Association
The World Cube Association (WCA) was founded in 2004 to set the rules for official competitions and keep the records. Today, competitions are held in countries around the world, with events for many different puzzles. See our guide to WCA competitions.
The cube today
Modern speedcubes have magnets, adjustable springs and smooth surfaces, and the world's best solvers finish a 3×3 in a few seconds. Cubing has grown into a community of people of all ages, who enjoy the puzzle, the maths and the competition.
Why it lasts
The cube is a perfect puzzle: easy to understand, hard to solve and satisfying when you do. It has more than 43 quintillion positions, yet every one can be solved. That combination of simple rules and huge variety is what mathematicians call elegant, and it is why teachers still use it. See the maths of the Rubik's Cube.
Common questions
Who invented the Rubik's Cube?
Ernő Rubik, a Hungarian professor of architecture, in 1974.
Why was it invented?
As a teaching tool, to help students understand three-dimensional movement. The puzzle came as a surprise.
What was it first called?
The Magic Cube (Bűvös kocka). It was renamed the Rubik's Cube for the worldwide launch.
How many Rubik's Cubes have been sold?
Hundreds of millions of cubes and cube-like puzzles have been sold, making it one of the best-selling puzzles of all time. Exact figures vary by source.
Is the Rubik's Cube still popular?
Yes. Speedcubing competitions are held around the world, and many children and adults learn to solve it every year.
This guide is general information. For exams, follow your school, teacher and official exam board, and use your own judgement about what suits your child.