History
Erno Rubik, a professor of architecture in Hungary, invented the "Magic Cube" in 1974. Small runs of the cube were released in Hungary in 1977. In 1979, Ideal Toys agreed to produce the toy world-wide.
Competition
Since the Rubik's Cube's debut, people have competed to see who can solve the puzzle the fastest. The leading organization for Rubik's Cube competitive solving is the World Cube Association, co-founded by Tyson Mao, who appeared in the second season of Beauty and the Geek.
Competition Fast Facts
- Fastest solver: Yu Nakajima, 8.72 seconds
- Youngest solver: Enxi Xie, age 4 years 6 months and 10 days
- Oldest solver: Rune Wesstrom, age 78 years and 14 days
- Fewest moves: Mirek Goljan, 28 moves