Precursors
In March 1970, Larry D. Nichols invented a 2x2x2 "Puzzle with Pieces Rotatable in Groups" and filed a Canadian patent application for it. … See more

The puzzle was originally advertised as having "over 3,000,000,000 (three billion) combinations but only one solution". Depending on how combinations are counted, the actual number is significantly higher.
Permutations See more

Speedcubing competitions
Speedcubing (or speedsolving) is the practice of trying to solve a Rubik's Cube in the shortest time … See more

Taking advantage of an initial shortage of cubes, many imitations and variations appeared, many of which may have violated one or more patents. In 2000 the patents expired, and … See more

A standard Rubik's Cube measures 5.6 centimetres (2+1⁄4 in) on each side. The puzzle consists of 26 unique miniature cubes, also known … See more

Singmaster notation
Many 3×3×3 Rubik's Cube enthusiasts use a notation developed by David Singmaster to denote a … See more

There are many different variations of Rubik's Cubes. The most common class of variants changes the "order" of the cube, defined by the number of layers in each dimension or … See more