Wrists whirl and fingers flash. Seconds later, the Rubik's Cube is solved. That's speedcubing! Blink and you'll miss it.

Is it a game? A toy? A puzzle? The answer is yes—and more. The Rubik's Cube has been around for some 40 years. It can be found almost everywhere. And competitions like speedcubing? They're the craziest!

The man behind the fad

Erno Rubik, a professor in Hungary, invented the popular puzzle in 1974. He wanted a game to help his students learn. The result? His famous toy. It took him a month to solve it himself!

Rubik's Cube has stayed popular. More than 450 million have been sold.

Erno Rubik

Crazy competitions

Cube lovers have come up with crazy competitions. In speedcubing, players solve a scrambled Rubik's Cube as fast as possible. The world record? Less than four seconds!

There are other kinds of contests, too. Like solving the Rubik's Cube with one hand—or just with your feet! Top cubers also compete while blindfolded or underwater. Juggling three cubes while solving them is another wacky challenge.