Amazing Rubiks Cube

Facts
1. The best selling toy
There have been roughly 400 million Rubiks Cubes sold
since 1980 and one fifth of the globe had played with it,
making this puzzle the best selling toy in history, and helping
its inventor, Erno Rubik to become the richest man in the
communist Hungary back then.
You might think about the Rubiks Cube as a retro game but
it was still the best selling toy at Walmart in 2015 with $111
million retail sales.

2. So many combinations!
The Rubiks Cube has 43 quintillion
(43.252.003.274.489.856.000) possible scrambles. If wed
line up that many cubes it would reach out 260 light years or
it could cover the Earth with 275 layers of cubes. Each piece
in this huge pile would be showing a unique pattern and only
one of them would be solved.
Good luck finding that one piece!

3. Its inventor couldnt

solve it
After it was invented in 1974 by the Hungarian professor of
architecture Rubik Erno it took one month to finally figure
out the solution despite a whole university looking for it. At
first they werent even sure a human could solve it.

4. The solution can be

learned
The solution can be learned easily by memorizing a few
algorithms and how to apply them. To solve the cube with
the beginners method we have to divide the puzzle into
layers and to apply algorithms in each step not messing up
the pieces already in place. Most Rubiks solving methods
are based on this idea.

5. There is a Rubiks Cube

solver program
Herbert Kociembas Cube Explorer program can find the
optimal solution in 20 steps. The algorithm is open source
and free to download. There is an online Rubiks Cube
solver which runs in your web browser without download
and installation.

6. The start of the twisty

puzzle mania
The Rubiks Cube inspired countless twisty puzzle models
which all have their unique mechanism, shape, solution
method and of course a huge fan-base.

7. Speedcubing
The World Cube Association regulates and holds Rubiks
Cube competitions worldwide since 2004 with officials in
70 countries.
The most important event is the Rubiks Cube single but
there are one-handed, blindfolded, feet only and fewest
moves challenges.

8. The fastest solver

Feliks Zemdegs holds the record for the fastest solution on
an official competition with an astonishing 4.73 seconds
result, however he was not the first to solve the Rubiks Cube
under 5 seconds.

9. The advanced method

The Fridrich method (CFOP) requires much practice, finger
tricks and the memorization of many algorithms. This is the
most popular method used by speedcubers.

10. Robots can do it under

1 second
Speedcubers are quick but a robot called Sub1 solved the
cube in 0.887 seconds. It used two webcams to capture the
arrangement of the sides, then it calculated the solution and
an Arduino-compatible microcontroller board applied the 20
steps.
The MultiCuber 999 robot is not so fast but it also achieved a
Guiness world record by solving a 9x9x9 cube.

11. You Can Do the Cube

The You Can Do the Cube solution guide was written in 1981
by 13 year old schoolboy, Patrick Bossert and sold more than
1.5 million copies.

12. Rubiks Cube shaped

museum
The hungarian government announced the plans of a Rubik-
shaped museum in 2012 but unfortunately the construction
hasnt started yet.
In the meantime we can visit the Beyond Rubiks Cube
travelling exhibition.

13. The most expensive

cube
Diamond Cutters International crafted the most precious
puzzle in 18 carat yellow gold, adding 25 precious stones as
stickers: diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds. The
masterpiece is valued at 2.5 million USD.
14. Giant cube
Tony Fisher, british puzzle designer built the Worlds biggest
Rubiks Cube in 2016. The fully functional puzzle is 1.56m
wide and weighs 100kgs.

15. The Pyraminx

However this tetrahedron-shaped, 3-layered twisty puzzle
was invented 3 years before the Rubiks Cube, it was only
patented later in 1981 when Rubiks became popular. The
Pyraminx is known to be the second best selling puzzle
toy with more than 100 million pieces sold.

16. Other famous twisty

puzzles
The most popular twisty puzzle models, which are all official
WCA competition events are the dodecahedron-shaped
Megaminx, the corner-turning Skewb, the shape-shifting
Square-1, the 22 Pocket Cube, the 44 Rubiks Revenge
and the 55 Professors Cube.

17. 22x22x22 Rubiks

Cube
Theres a challenge for those who think the classic 3x3x3 is
too easy. It takes 3 hours to make a simple checkerboard
pattern on the record-breaking 22x22x22 Rubiks Cube. The
cube fell apart (exploded) twice and it took months to rebuild
the 2094 cubies.

18. Shape mods

Any other shape can be built on the Rubiks Cube core
mechanism, not just a cube. Some brilliant puzzle designers
and 3D printing gave birth to countless amazing 33 shape
mods, such as the Fisher Cube, Mastermorphix, Mirror Cube,
Ghost Cube, but there are heart-shaped, or Bart Simpson-
shaped puzzles as well.
Puzzle modding is becoming more and more popular.

19. Sticker mods

Applying custom stickers on the puzzles can add an extra
twist to the game. This way we can add a jigsaw puzzle, a
Sudoku or a maze to the Magic Cube. The solution of such
a puzzle is more difficult than the classic 6-colored version
because its hard to figure out which piece belongs where
and for most picture cubes the orientation of the center
pieces count as well.

20. Electronic Cubes

Even a retro game has to keep up with the 21st century.
Electronic Rubiks Cubes, such as the Rubiks Touch and
the Futuro Cube are new players in the puzzle market.
Touchscreens, motion sensors, pre-installed games and
mobile connectivity are inevitable these days.

21. Who wants to be a

millionaire?
A 27 year old student won the great prize of the German
Who wants to be a millionaire by answering correct to
the question: How many cubies does the Rubiks Cube
consist of?.

22. Some cubers can solve

it blindfolded
The blindfolded solves of 3x3x3, 4x4x4 and 5x5x5 cubes are
official competition events. The competitor has to memorize
the scramble, then solve the cube blindfolded.
In 2013 Marcin Kowalczyk (Poland) memorised 41 cubes for
30 minutes and then solved them all blindfolded in 22
minutes.
23. Gods number has
been found: 20
Thanks to the Google supercomputers, a team of researchers
proved in 2010 that any scramble can be solved in 20
steps or less. Finding this number (nicknamed Gods
number) has been a huge mathematical mystery for
decades.

24. The Rubiks Google

Doodle
In 2014 the 40th birthday of the invention was celebrated
by Google with a doodle on its home page where people
could challenge their skills with an online cube simulator.
The cube exploded when the solution was completed.

25. Rubikubism
Rubikubism pixel art is using only Rubiks Cubes to draw
pictures. The biggest mosaic was built by Josh Chalom (USA)
and it contains 85.794 puzzles.

26. Disassembled cube

To take apart the Rubiks Cube rotate one face 45 degrees
and pop out an edge. You will see that it has a core
mechanism and the center pieces hold the edges and
corners together. You will only have a 1/12 chance of your
puzzle being solvable after you put the pieces back together
randomly and not in the solved state.

27. Competitors of the

Rubiks brand
Speedcubing requires fast puzzles to reach the best solution
times and Rubiks branded products were never known for
their superior quality. Rubiks has its own speedcube
model, which is still not preferred by professional
speedcubers and they rather choose other puzzle brands,
like MoYu or DaYan. We have collected and rated the best
online stores to buy twisty puzzles.

28. Cubers won

Romanias Got Talent in
2015
Speedcubing can make a good show! This has been proven
by three speedcubers on the most popular Romanian
talent show who impressed the jury and the audience with
an amazing show for weeks in a row, eliminating singers,
dancers, magicians and other performers.
Read the full story here.

29. Twisty jigsaw sliding

puzzle
This is a twisty puzzle on a jigsaw puzzle on a sliding puzzle.
Try to solve it here or generate a puzzle with your own
image!

30. Chuck Norris can solve

the cube just by staring at
it
Okay this might not be true but nobody has proven it wrong
either. You can find many other cubing jokes and memes
here.