Did you know there are 42 quintillion ways to move a Rubik’s Cube? A quintillion is a billion billions. Wow! Rubik’s Cubes are incredible. Where did they come from?
Shutterstock.com
The History of Rubik's Cubes
Learn about the twists and turns that led to this awesome invention!
By By Meg Richardson
From the February 2024 Issue
Learn the fascinating story of this fun invention.
Lexile® measure: 510L
Vocabulary: quintillion, architect, model
Topic:
Social Studies,
Common Core Standards
TEKS Standards
The First Rubik’s Cube
It all started 50 years ago. In 1974, a man named Erno Rubik was an architect. His job was designing buildings. He used wooden cubes and rubber bands to make models. One day, he was experimenting with the things he used for his models. He made the first Rubik’s Cube!
Selling Rubik’s Cubes
Jim McMahon/Mapman®
Rubik lived in a country called Hungary. He started selling the cube there. He added colors to it. At first he didn’t call it Rubik’s Cube. He called it the Magic Cube. Later a toy company changed the name.
In 1980, Rubik’s Cubes arrived in toy stores around the world. Everyone loved them! People bought more than 100 million Rubik’s Cubes in just two years.
The Cube’s Comeback
Soon the world got tired of Rubik’s Cubes. Electronic toys were invented. People bought those instead. Then Rubik’s Cubes made a comeback 20 years ago. Why? People had the internet! They could watch videos and talk with other cube fans. They formed a community.
Speedcubing
Shutterstock.com
Today people still love Rubik’s Cubes. Some people go to cube competitions. There, people race to solve Rubik’s Cubes. They are called speedcubers. There are even contests where people solve cubes with blindfolds or with their feet!
Rubik had no idea that his invention would be such a big deal. Anything can happen when you experiment!
Rubik'a Cube Timeline
Courtesy of Rubik’s Cube/www.rubiks.com (First Rubik’s Cube); Shutterstock.com (Child); John Robertson/Alamy Stock Photo (Speedcubing)
50 years ago: the first Rubik’s Cube
44 years ago: popular all over the world
Today: people speedcubing
Activities
(3)
Skills Activities
Answer Key
(1)
More About the Article
Social Studies Focus
Long ago and today
In-Person Lesson Plan
Implementation
- Small group; whole group; independent reading
Pairings and Text Connections
- Pair with this issue’s debate, “Should Rubik's Cubes Be Allowed in School?,” p. 30
Before-Reading Resources
- Text Preview Bookmarks
(10 minutes) Kids can cut out the nonfiction bookmark and use it to preview the text.
- Play the Vocabulary Slideshow
(5 minutes) Help students become familiar with vocabulary words they will see in the article.
Suggested Reading Focus
Nonfiction text features (20 minutes)
- Point out the blue bar on the right side of the page. Do students know what this is? Hint: It says in the headline. (It’s a timeline.)
- Explain that a timeline shows the order in which things happened. You can see how long ago each thing happened on the arrow.
After-Reading Skills Practice
(15 minutes for each activity)
- Quiz: Comprehension check
- Crossword Puzzle: Students can familiarize themselves with words in the article by doing a fun crossword puzzle.
Text-to-Speech