Rubik's Cube is a 3D combination puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian Sculptor and Professor of Architecture Erno Rubik.

Originally called the Magic Cube, the puzzle was licensed by Rubik to be sold by Ideal Toy Corp in 1980. It won the German Game of the Year special award for Best Puzzle that year. As of January 2009, 350 million cubes had been sold worldwide, making it the world's top-selling puzzle game. It is widely considered to be the world's best-selling toy.

Although the Rubik's Cube reached its height of mainstream popularity in the 1980s, it is still widely known and used. Many Speedcubers continue to practice it and other twisty puzzles and compete for the fastest times in various categories. Since 2003, The World Cube Competition (the Rubik's Cube's international governing body) has organised competitions worldwide and kept the official world records.

It was 1981 when I got my first Rubik’s cube, just as I started high school. High school was an amalgamation of several junior schools in the area and there were lots of new kids there that I had never even seen before. I was a shy kid and didn’t make new friends easily, but this small toy got lots of people’s interest, without my even having to try, and made me loads of new friends within the first couple of weeks.

I still have my original Rubik’s cube, so it was obviously well made, with excellent craftsmanship. The packaging was a round tube type box made of clear Perspex to double as a stand when not in use. I never worked out how to complete it all, but I can still remember how to complete to top and middle layers, its just the bottom layer that still eludes me to this day. I keep trying though and still enjoy the playing with this puzzle.