Here's How Long It Took The Inventor Of Rubik's Cube To Solve One
Have you ever solved a Rubik's cube? Believe it or not, the completion of this multi-colored puzzle from Hell doesn't make pin-headed cenobites appear, but it sure seems like should, considering how badly your hands hurt after investing hours into one. In fact, if you do solve the mystery of the cube, nothing happens at all ... exception the satisfaction of being a genius, that is.
Want to know another genius who had a rough time figuring the damn thing out? Well, amusingly enough, the dude who invented it.
Even the inventor took a while to figure it out
The Rubik's cube is named after its Hungarian inventor, Ernő Rubik, pictured above. Understand, while the Rubik's cube ended up being the most popular Christmas toy of the early eighties, and certainly the fidget spinner of its era, Rubik never intended (or imagined) that it would be something kids would like to play with: his so-called "magic cube" was designed as a model to explain three-dimensional geometry. As explained by the Telegraph, a Rubik's cube is composed of nine squares on each side, or 54 in total, and it can be rearranged into 43,000,000,000,000,000,000 ways. Whoa. So, while it might not quite be the hardest math problem in the world, it sure ain't as easy as your hyperactive little nephew makes it look. Anyhow, the first cube that Rubik created in his mom's Budapest apartment, according to Quartz, was a bit different (and heavier) than today's models. It was composed of wooden blocks, tied together with elastic string, with glued strips of paper used to signify the square colors. As soon as Rubik started playing with his model, he fell in love. It was fascinating. Mesmerizing. And, also — as he discovered, some moments later — the most frustratingly impossible thing ever. Years later, Rubik compared the experience to going on a nice night on the town, marveling at the sights, and then not being able to find his way home. Preach, man.
So, he kept plugging away at it. And plugging. And plugging. He spent an entire month utterly absorbed by his effort to solve his own cube, until he finally figured out the "corner method," of rearranging the corners of each side first. Voila! Once he'd finally twisted the infernal thing back into shape, Rubik excitedly showed his mother ... who, as he tells it, was mainly just happy that he wouldn't be working so hard on it anymore. Womp womp.
Surprisingly, the Rubik's cube went on to become a worldwide phenomenon, which people still play with today, so Rubik's efforts paid off in a big way. That said, considering even the inventor had to work on it for a month before figuring it out, you shouldn't feel bad about your own efforts ... or compare them to Yusheng Du, from China, who currently holds the Guinness World Record for solving the cube in 3.47 seconds.