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Inventors and Inventions
The 1980's

Is There Really a Rubik Who Invented a Cube?

Is There Really a Rubik Who Invented a Cube?
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 4 to 6
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   5.94

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    format, intent, manufacturers, popularity, random, thinker, production, artistic, introduction, odds, worldwide, therefore, intricate, various, version, aircraft
     content words:    Magic Cube, Erno Rubik, World War II, Big Challenge, Terutoshi Ishige, Larry Nichols, Ideal Toy Company, In May, Pocket Cube

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Is There Really a Rubik Who Invented a Cube?
By Jane Runyon 		  
1     The answer is "yes." Yes, there really is a man named Rubik. And he really did invent a special cube. He called it a Magic Cube. You have probably seen his puzzle cube before. Perhaps you have even tried to solve the puzzle.
 
2     Erno Rubik was born in Hungary. World War II was going on at the time. Rubik's home was very interesting. His mother was a poet. She was a free thinker who put her thoughts of life and nature to paper. His father was an aircraft engineer. His thoughts had to be very specific and precise. Erno was blessed with parts of each of his parents. He had an artistic side that loved sculpture. He went to college to study art and sculpture. After he graduated, he wasn't satisfied. He went back to college and studied architecture. After completing his class work, he stayed on at the college to teach interior design, a very good way to combine his love of art with his love of building.
 
3     Erno Rubik created his famous cube in 1974. It was not his intent to create a new toy. He was merely interested in designs and how he could produce various designs using his "gadget." After coming up with his intricate design, Rubik said," It was wonderful, to see how, after only a few turns, the colors became mixed, apparently in random fashion. It was tremendously satisfying to watch this color parade. Like after a nice walk when you have seen many lovely sights you decide to go home, after a while I decided it was time to go home, let us put the cubes back in order. And it was at that moment that I came face to face with the Big Challenge: What is the way home?"

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