Ernő Rubik (; born 13 July 1944) is a Hungarian architect and inventor widely known for creating the Rubik's Cube (1974), Rubik's Magic, and Rubik's Snake.
Rubik studied sculpture at the Academy of Applied Arts and Design in Budapest and architecture at the Technical University, likewise located in Budapest.
While a professor of design at the academy, he pursued his hobby of building geometric models. One of these was a prototype of his cube, made of 27 wooden blocks; it took Rubik a month to solve the cube after scrambling it. It proved a useful tool for teaching group theory, and in late 1977, Konsumex, Hungary's state trading company, began marketing it. By 1980, Rubik's Cube was marketed throughout the world, and over 100 million authorized units were sold, mostly during its subsequent three years of popularity. Approximately 50 books were published describing how to solve the puzzle of Rubik's Cube. Following his cube's popularity, Rubik opened a studio to develop designs in 1984; among its products was another popular puzzle toy, Rubik's Magic.
Recently, Rubik has been involved with several organizations that promote science and math learning to children, such as the Rubik Learning Initiative and the Judit Polgar Foundation.
Early life and education Ernő Rubik was born in Budapest, Hungary, on 13 July 1944, during World War II, and has lived all of his life in Hungary. His father, who was also named Ernő Rubik, was a flight engineer at the Esztergom aircraft factory, and his mother, Magdolna Szántó, was a poet. He has stated in almost every interview that he got his inspiration from his father.
His father, Ernő, was a highly respected engineer of gliders. His extensive work and expertise in this area gained him an international reputation as an expert in his field. Ernő Rubik has stated that:
From 1958 to 1962, Rubik specialized in sculpture at the Secondary School of Fine and Applied Arts. From 1962 to 1967, Rubik attended the Budapest University of Technology where he became a member of the Architecture Faculty. From 1967 to 1971, Rubik attended the Hungarian Academy of Applied Arts and Design and was in the Faculty of Interior Architecture and Design.
Rubik considers university and the education it afforded him as the decisive event which shaped his life. Rubik stated, "Schools offered me the opportunity to acquire knowledge of subjects or rather crafts that need a lot of practice, persistence, and diligence with the direction of a mentor."
Career Professorship and origin of the Rubik's Cube
From 1971 to 1979, Rubik was a professor of architecture at the Budapest College of Applied Arts (Iparművészeti Főiskola). It was during his time there that he built designs for a three-dimensional puzzle and completed the first working prototype of the Rubik's Cube in 1974, applying for a patent on the puzzle in 1975. In an interview with CNN, Rubik stated that he was "searching to find a good task for my students."The little cube that changed the world Retrieved 29 April 2013.
Starting with blocks of wood and rubber bands, Rubik set out to create a structure that would allow the individual pieces to move without the whole structure falling apart. Rubik originally used wood for the block because of the convenience of a workshop at the university and because he viewed wood as a simple material to work with that did not require sophisticated machinery. Rubik made the original prototypes of his cube by hand, cutting the wood, boring the holes and using elastic bands to hold the contraption together.
Rubik showed his prototype to his class and his students liked it very much. Rubik realized that because of the cube's simple structure, it could be manufactured relatively easily and might have appeal to a larger audience. Rubik's father possessed several patents, so Rubik was familiar with the process and applied for a patent for his invention. Rubik then set out to find a manufacturer in Hungary, but had great difficulty due to the rigid planned economy of communist Hungary at the time. Eventually, Rubik was able to find a small company that worked with plastic and made chess pieces. The cube was originally known in Hungary as the Magic Cube.
Rubik licensed the Magic Cube to Ideal Toys, a U.S. company, in 1979. Ideal rebranded The Magic Cube to the Rubik's Cube before it was introduced to an international audience in 1980.Villapaz, Luke."Rubik's Cube 40th Anniversary: 9 Facts Behind The Famous 3-D Toy Puzzle".International Business Times, 25 April 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014"The history of Rubik's Cube", Rubik's:The home of Rubik's Cube, retrieved and archived 6 February 2017 The process from early prototype to mass production of the Cube had taken over six years. The Rubik's Cube became an instant success worldwide, won several Toy of the Year awards, and became a staple of 1980s popular culture. By 2024, over 500 million Rubik's Cubes had been sold, making it one of the best selling toys of all time.
Other inventions In addition to Rubik's Cube, Rubik is also the inventor of Rubik's Magic, Rubik's Snake and Rubik's 360 along with several others.
Later career and other works In the early 1980s, he became the editor of a game and puzzle journal called ..És játék (...And games), then became self-employed in 1983, founding the Rubik Stúdió, where he designed furniture and games. In 1987, he became a professor with full tenure; in 1990, he became the president of the Hungarian Engineering Academy (Magyar Mérnöki Akadémia). At the academy, he created the International Rubik Foundation to support especially talented young engineers and industrial designers.
He attended the 2007 World Speedcubing Championship in Budapest.John Nadler, "Squaring Up to the Rubik's Cube", Time, 9 October 2007."25 years on" Erno Rubik interview at the Rubik's Cube official website, retrieved 9 May 2010 He also gave a lecture and autograph session at the "Bridges-Pecs" conference ("Bridges between Mathematics and the Arts") in July 2010."Bridges Conference" List of Plenary speakers, retrieved 26 July 2010
In 2009, he was appointed as an honorary professor of Keimyung University in Daegu, South Korea.
In the 2010s, Rubik has recently spent much of his time working on Beyond Rubik's Cube, a Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM fields) based exhibition, which would travel the globe over the next six years."Beyond Rubik's Cube" Liberty Science Center, N.D. Retrieved 6 May 2014 The grand opening of the exhibit was held on 26 April 2014 at the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey. At the exhibition, Rubik gave several lectures, tours, and engaged with the public and several members of the speedcubing crowd in attendance, including Anthony Michael Brooks, a world-class speedcuber.Barron, James. "A Cube With a Twist: At 40, It Puzzles Anew". The New York Times, 25 April 2014. retrieved 6 May 2014Matheson Whitney. "Forty years later, the Rubik's Cube still puzzles". USA Today, 25 April 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014
Rubik is a member of the USA Science and Engineering Festival's advisory board.US Science and Engineering Festival Advisors Retrieved 5 July 2010.
Influences Ernő Rubik has listed several individuals who, as he has said, "exerted a great influence over me through their work." These include Leonardo da Vinci, whom Rubik regards as the Renaissance man; Michelangelo, whom he respects as a polymath, painter, and sculptor; and artist M. C. Escher, who drew impossible constructions and grappled with explorations of infinity. As regards to philosophers and writers, Rubik admires Voltaire, Stendhal, Thomas Mann, Jean-Paul Sartre, Hungarian poet Attila József, Jules Verne, and Isaac Asimov. In the field of architecture, Rubik is an admirer of Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier.
Personal life Rubik describes himself as a lifelong bibliophile, saying "books offered me the possibility of gaining knowledge of the world, nature and people". He has a special interest in science fiction. As well, he is fond of nature walks, sports, sailing on Lake Balaton – and gardening, saying "collecting succulents is my favourite pastime".
Prizes and awards 1978 – Budapest International Trade Fair, Prize for the CubeEuropa Interview with Ernő Rubik Retrieved 5 May 2014 1980 – Toy of the Year: Federal Republic of Germany, United Kingdom, France, USA 1981 – Toy of the Year: Finland, Sweden, Italy 1982 – Toy of the Year: United Kingdom (second time) 1982 – The Museum of Modern Art, New York selected Rubik's Cube into its permanent collection 1983 – Hungarian State Prize for demonstrating and teaching 3D structures and for the various solutions that inspired scientific researches in several ways 1988 – Juvenile Prize from the State Office of Youth and Sport 1995 – Dénes Gabor Prize from the Novofer Foundation as an acknowledgement of achievements in the field of innovation 1996 – Ányos Jedlik Prize from the Hungarian Patent Office 1997 – Prize for the Reputation of Hungary (1997) 2007 – Kossuth Prize (the most prestigious cultural award in Hungary) 2008 – Moholy-Nagy Prize – from the Moholy-Nagy University of Arts and Design 2009 – EU Ambassador of the Year of Creativity and InnovationRubik's cube and EU Politics: The Manifesto for Creativity and Innovation in Europe Retrieved 5 May 2014 2010 – USA Science and Engineering Festival Award (Outstanding Contribution to Science Education)Ernő Rubik Awarded with the Outstanding Contributions to Science Education Award Retrieved 5 May 2014
2014 – Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen (The highest Hungarian state honour)Ernő Rubik Awarded the Highest Medal Awarded by the country of Hungary Retrieved 23 August 2014 2014 – Honorary Citizen of BudapestErnő Rubik Named as an Honorary Citizen of Budapest Retrieved 23 August 2014
Publications Co-author of The Rubik's Cube Compendium (written by David Singmaster, Ernő Rubik, Gerzson Kéri, György Marx, Tamás Varga and Tamás Vekerdy), Oxford University Press, 1987. Author of Cubed – The Puzzle of Us All, Flatiron Books/Orion Publishing Group /Hachette UK/Libri, 2020.
References
External links
An interview with Ernő Rubik His biography at Hungary.hu His first print interview in ten years (archived 1 February 2009) An exclusive video interview about the new Rubik's 360