The 3x3x3 cube (also known as "Rubik's cube" and "magic cube") was invented by Ernő Rubik in 1974, and was quickly unveiled in the early 1980s.
This is a mechanical and geometric puzzle composed of with 26 elements (called cubies), which can be moved with a system of axes, that is hidden in the center of the cube. Each of the six faces is covered by 9 stickers, among six solid colours (traditionally being white, yellow, orange, red, blue, and green). The system of axes enables each layer to turn independently, thus mixing up the colours. For the puzzle to be solved, each face must be a solid colour.
It is said to be the world's best-selling toy, with over 350 millions cubes sold worldwide as of 2009.
It has inspired many widely available variations such the 2×2×2, the 3×3×3, the 4×4×4, the 5×5×5, larger sizes ones, the Pyraminx (tetrahedron), the Skewb Diamond (octahedron), the Megaminx (dodecahedron) or the Dogic (icosahedron). All of these items belong to a broad category of puzzles commonly referred to as "twisty puzzles". Some twisty puzzles are shape-shifting (such as the Square One) or custom-built (such as shape modifications of existing mechanisms).
Many subjects have been built around cubing:
