Inventor of Rubik's cube - Ernő Rubik

Puzzle cube mural of Ernő Rubik

Ernő Rubik, a Hungarian architect, designer, and professor, is best known as the inventor of the Rubik’s Cube, one of the most iconic and bestselling puzzles in history. Born on July 13, 1944, in Budapest, Hungary, Rubik initially created the cube in 1974 as a teaching tool to help students understand three-dimensional geometry. Originally called the Magic Cube, it was later renamed the Rubik’s Cube and became a global sensation in the 1980s. With over 450 million cubes sold, it remains a symbol of creativity, intelligence, and problem-solving.

A rare and fascinating fact about Ernő Rubik is that it took him over a month to solve his own invention after scrambling it for the first time! Another extraordinary detail is that despite inventing the world’s most famous puzzle, he was never particularly interested in speed-solving. Today, speedcubers can solve the cube in under 4 seconds, a feat unimaginable when it was first introduced. Ernő Rubik’s invention continues to inspire STEM learning, problem-solving, and competitive cubing communities worldwide.