The little cube that changed the world
LONDON. October 11. KAZIFNORM There's one solution out of 43 quintillion possible combinations, and even the man who invented it spent a month of solid research trying to figure it out. But that hasn't stopped the Rubik's Cube from becoming the most popular toy in history.
The colorful puzzle, consisting of small blocks rotating on a central axis, has sold an estimated 350 million units since its conception nearly 40 years ago. And yet the man whose name it bears - Erno Rubik -only ever intended it to be a teaching aid for his small class of design students.
The son of a poet mother and a father who manufactured glider planes, Rubik grew up in Soviet-era Hungary, studying both sculpture and architecture, CNN informed.
Read: Rubik's Cube in numbers
His life-changing idea arrived when he was in his late 20s, a young professor still living at home with his parents.
Starting off with just chunks of wood and rubber bands, Rubik set about trying to create a structure that would permit individual blocks to move independently of one another without the whole thing falling apart.
It took six years to go from prototype to market, but when it finally hit the shelves at the start of the 1980s, it became the fastest selling puzzle of all time.
It stills retains its appeal to this day. Last year alone it sold seven million units and so-called "speed cubing" competitions -- where contestants attempt to solve the puzzle against the clock -- are as popular as ever.
In a rare interview, the publicity-shy Rubik retraces the journey of his iconic toy.
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