Enrő Rubik
Ernő
Rubik never intended to make the world’s best selling toy. Actually, he
never intended on even selling the Rubik’s Cube once he invented it.
He merely wanted visual to use to teach 3D objects and their
relationship to each other to his students. Though it seemed like such a
simple puzzle it mesmerized millions of Americans with it’s complexity.
Rubik was born in the small town of Budapest, Hungry and raised by his parents. His father was a flight engineer, and as for his mother, she was a poet. He graduated from the Technical University, Budapest Faculty of Architecture, and became a teacher at Budapest College of Applied Arts. There he taught students the basics of interior design.
Rubik had a vivid imagination and an engineer’s sharp and inquisitive mind. He frequently used visual -- such as models made out of wood, plastic,or paper -- to help students learn new concepts. He often pondered the invention of something to teach student three-dimensional geometry. He asked himself, "How could the blocks move independently without falling about?" His first attempt was to use rubber bands to hold the cubies together. This allowed the pieces to move, but it was too difficult and fragile. Then, he began to interlock the cubies by their unique shape. He tinkered with this design for a while, and eventually came up with the locking mechanism, which allowed the each row of cubies to move individually and still hold the whole cube together. Using hand carved cubies, each with a piece of adhesive paper in a different color, he assemble the first Rubik’s Cube, which he called the "Büvös Kocka” meaning Magic Cube in Hungarian.
After making this life changing invention, Ernő realized that it wasn’t that easy to solve -- actually he thought it might be impossible. He said, “It was wonderful, to see how, after only a few turns, the colors became mixed, apparently in random fashion. It was tremendously satisfying to watch this color parade. Like after a nice walk when you have seen many lovely sights you decide to go home, after a while I decided it was time to go home, let us put the cubes back in order. And it was at that moment that I came face to face with the big challenge. What is the way back home?” As you know, the Cube is solvable, but it took Rubik about to month to find his way back home.
Rubik brought the Cube to his classes, and the kids took a special interest in the Cube. They would often stayed after or before classes to merely play with the Cube. Ernő then realized that he could make some money off of this invention. So in 1974, the Magic Cube was patented and put on the shelves of toy stores all around Budapest. By 1978, the Magic Cube could be found all over Hungary, but sales were still not all that was hoped for. That was until a man named Tibor Laczi helped Rubik.
One day while having coffee, Laczi noticed a waiter playing with the cube. Being an amateur mathematician he was, Laczi was dazzled at how this little contraption worked. Then, he found out it was made by a teacher named Rubik, and his first impression of Ernő was like so: ”When Rubik first walked into the room, I felt like giving him some money. ‘He looked like a beggar. He was terribly dressed, and he had a cheap Hungarian cigarette hanging out of his mouth. But I knew I had a genius on my hands. I told him we could sell millions.”
In 1980, Laczi took the Magic Cube to it’s international debut in London, Paris, Nuremberg and New York. He simply roamed the fair grounds playing with the Cube. There, a British toy expert named Tom Kremer took a keen notices of the Cube. He thought it was a breath taking contraption. Together Laczi and Kremer, with much struggle, negotiated to sell the Cube in the Untied States.
Then, with permission to sell it in the U. S., the Magic Cube was reproduced into a lighter cube and given a new name. Some ideas that were considered for the name was “The Gordian Knot” and “The Inca Gold”, but it was everyone came to the consensus to call it the Rubik’s Cube. From there the Rubik’s Cube became a worldwide sensation and Ernő became the first self-made millionaire.
Now worldwide “Cubing” competitions are held annually. Champions have solved the Rubik’s Cube is less then ten seconds! There has also been contests where contestants have to solve the Cube blindfolded, underwater, using one hand, and using their feet. Furthermore, electronic games and other cubes have been created by Enrő, such as the 2x2x2 Cube, 4x4x4 Cube, and even a 5x5x5 Cube.
Today Ernő Rubik lives away from the world of fame in his home town of Budapest, Hungary. He never talks to fans, never even goes to his own Rubik’s Cube competitions, and never is seen in public. Yet he still has had an impact on the world by bringing them a toy that is timeless. Everyday people are still marveled at the intricacy of the composition of the Rubik’s Cube.
Rubik was born in the small town of Budapest, Hungry and raised by his parents. His father was a flight engineer, and as for his mother, she was a poet. He graduated from the Technical University, Budapest Faculty of Architecture, and became a teacher at Budapest College of Applied Arts. There he taught students the basics of interior design.
Rubik had a vivid imagination and an engineer’s sharp and inquisitive mind. He frequently used visual -- such as models made out of wood, plastic,or paper -- to help students learn new concepts. He often pondered the invention of something to teach student three-dimensional geometry. He asked himself, "How could the blocks move independently without falling about?" His first attempt was to use rubber bands to hold the cubies together. This allowed the pieces to move, but it was too difficult and fragile. Then, he began to interlock the cubies by their unique shape. He tinkered with this design for a while, and eventually came up with the locking mechanism, which allowed the each row of cubies to move individually and still hold the whole cube together. Using hand carved cubies, each with a piece of adhesive paper in a different color, he assemble the first Rubik’s Cube, which he called the "Büvös Kocka” meaning Magic Cube in Hungarian.
After making this life changing invention, Ernő realized that it wasn’t that easy to solve -- actually he thought it might be impossible. He said, “It was wonderful, to see how, after only a few turns, the colors became mixed, apparently in random fashion. It was tremendously satisfying to watch this color parade. Like after a nice walk when you have seen many lovely sights you decide to go home, after a while I decided it was time to go home, let us put the cubes back in order. And it was at that moment that I came face to face with the big challenge. What is the way back home?” As you know, the Cube is solvable, but it took Rubik about to month to find his way back home.
Rubik brought the Cube to his classes, and the kids took a special interest in the Cube. They would often stayed after or before classes to merely play with the Cube. Ernő then realized that he could make some money off of this invention. So in 1974, the Magic Cube was patented and put on the shelves of toy stores all around Budapest. By 1978, the Magic Cube could be found all over Hungary, but sales were still not all that was hoped for. That was until a man named Tibor Laczi helped Rubik.
One day while having coffee, Laczi noticed a waiter playing with the cube. Being an amateur mathematician he was, Laczi was dazzled at how this little contraption worked. Then, he found out it was made by a teacher named Rubik, and his first impression of Ernő was like so: ”When Rubik first walked into the room, I felt like giving him some money. ‘He looked like a beggar. He was terribly dressed, and he had a cheap Hungarian cigarette hanging out of his mouth. But I knew I had a genius on my hands. I told him we could sell millions.”
In 1980, Laczi took the Magic Cube to it’s international debut in London, Paris, Nuremberg and New York. He simply roamed the fair grounds playing with the Cube. There, a British toy expert named Tom Kremer took a keen notices of the Cube. He thought it was a breath taking contraption. Together Laczi and Kremer, with much struggle, negotiated to sell the Cube in the Untied States.
Then, with permission to sell it in the U. S., the Magic Cube was reproduced into a lighter cube and given a new name. Some ideas that were considered for the name was “The Gordian Knot” and “The Inca Gold”, but it was everyone came to the consensus to call it the Rubik’s Cube. From there the Rubik’s Cube became a worldwide sensation and Ernő became the first self-made millionaire.
Now worldwide “Cubing” competitions are held annually. Champions have solved the Rubik’s Cube is less then ten seconds! There has also been contests where contestants have to solve the Cube blindfolded, underwater, using one hand, and using their feet. Furthermore, electronic games and other cubes have been created by Enrő, such as the 2x2x2 Cube, 4x4x4 Cube, and even a 5x5x5 Cube.
Today Ernő Rubik lives away from the world of fame in his home town of Budapest, Hungary. He never talks to fans, never even goes to his own Rubik’s Cube competitions, and never is seen in public. Yet he still has had an impact on the world by bringing them a toy that is timeless. Everyday people are still marveled at the intricacy of the composition of the Rubik’s Cube.
