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1873 Sam Lloyd's 15-piece puzzle (this is believed to be the basis for the Rubik's Cube). Probably because it is most comparable to the cube, however, only 2-dimentional!)
Spring 1974 The first 2x2x2 model (not yet operational)
30 January 1975 The cube is submitted for patent
3 March 1975 Erno Rubik gives the cube to Politechnika (later Politoys Industrial Co.) for domestic utilisation
March-Dec. 1975 Politechnika does not do anything with the cube
1 Dec. 1975 Erno Rubik sets a 15-day deadline to Politechnika: if no move is made towards the manufacturing of the cube till then, he withdraws the cube from them
Winter 1975 The National Institue of Education rejected the cube as a teaching tool
1977 12 thousand cubes are manufactured for the domestic market
BNV (Budapest International Fair) 1977 Interplayexpo, demonstration of the snake-toy
BNV 1978 The Ministry of Culture awarded the prize 'Nivo' to the cube
1978 Nuremberg Toy Fair KONSTUMEX (at the time the only company licensed to foreign trade) presents the cube but no one shows any interest (it is gathering dust on one of the shelves containing the descriptions of more than 100 games)
Dec. 1978 Dr Tibor Lacza gets his first Magic Cube
1975-1978 Failure of TRIAL to execute the sale of 5 thousand cubes on the national market (the only domestic company licensed for internal trade)
1978 2100 cubes have been exported so far
January 1979 Dr Tibor Lacza takes 12 Magic Cubes with him to Austria to show friends this great game
Spring 1979 The first 2x2x2 model
Dr Lacza asks the permission of KONSUMEX to to take the cube to the Nuremberg Toy Fair, he gets the permission from the company saying, it is all the same for them
Nuremberg Toy Fair 1979 Dr Tibor Lacza presented the cube to Tom Kramer ( the then director of Severn Towns)
17 June 1979 The first article appears about the cube in the Observer magazine with the title: "Six-sided magic. This article contains, among others, all the possible variations of the cube
17 September 1979 Contract between Ideal Toys and KONSTUMEX Export-Import companies on the Rubik Cube (then Magic Cube) including the following:
- Ideal Toys will be the sole distributor of the cube in USA, England, Germany, France, Canada, Australia and Japan.
- Order of a minimum of 500 thousand cubes, plus an optional order by September 1980.
- Undertakes to continuously purchase the cube. If Hungary is not able to produce enough cubes, it is allowed to purchase from anyone else against the payment of royalties.
- provides legal security for the cube wherever it is possible (here appears first Rubik's name used as a trademark by Mr Sims) and no matter in which country it registers the cube, it remains in its possession (!!!)
Till the end of 1979 In Hungary, the sale of 300 thousand Magic cubes - in total 68,694 pieces of cubes sold in export (so far)
10 January 1980 Erno Rubik signs a contract with Ideal Toy Co. on the use of his name. A symbolic 1 USD then allows the company selling the cube under his name. Since this time we talk about the Rubik Cube!
Beginning of April 1980 Politoys then promised the production and marketing plans of the 2x2x2 cube to Ideal Co. for the first time
Mid-April 1980 Order of 2 million cubes with the deadline of 30 June is placed.(the production of such volume was impossible for Hungary, let alone Politoys!)
13 May 1980 Politoys (Mr Ferenc Manczur) proceed for loan to the Hungarian National Bank
May 1980 Politoys (Mr Ferenc Manczur) prohibits the publishing of the book entitled "Magic Cube", saying that that making public the solution for the game harms the sales.
15 Augustus 1980 Politoys (Mr Ferenc Manczur) prohibits Erno Rubik's travel to Japan, referring to the contract: the travel represents a threat to domestic sales (that is a good question: would they order too many cubes or what??)
September 1980 The 2x2x2x cube is submitted for patent (by this time fake cubes are already being manufacture in Taiwan)
October 1980 The cube is already being sold in 16 countries
November 1980 This was the time Politoys has promised the production of the first series of the snake-toy
30 December 1980 The Hungarian National Bank provides the loan, however, it is demanded to be utilised till 10 o'clock, 31 December 1980, (Politoys has less then 1 day to spend the money!)
1980 TRIAL in that year sold 1 million cubes and ordered the same amount for 1981. (in this period it was am miracle to sell a product in a volume of 50 thousand)
ARXON sold a total of 4 million Rubik Cubes in the German Federal Republic, game of the year in several countries,
Tom Kramer warns that a growing number of fake cubes have appeared and will appear and that something should be done to prevent this!
February 1981 Politoys produces a total of 4 million cubes that year
Politoys makes promises for the second time to start the production of the snake-toy
Beginning of 1981 Politoys (Mr Ferenc Manczur) tries illegally register propery rights on cube, and the name of Rubik in several countries! (previously they did not have resources for this and now they pay the multiple of the amount for nothing)
April 1981 Polytoy request a second loan from the Hungarian National Bank (MNB), this time Politoys wants to be on the safe: it request a loan of 204 million Forints!
30 June 1981 Politoys have promised to manufacture 50 thousand snake-toys by this time
1 July 1981 Politoys accuses Erno Rubik with illegal foreign trade activities (because he goes abroad to promote the cube?)
Mid-1981 Politoy purchases 1.6 million cubes from the Far-East, and sells/export a large part of it as original cubes (therefore the situation between Ideal and Politoys, i.e. between Arxon and Politoys gets even worse)
15 Sept – 1 Oct 1981 The first 'capitalist' machines are set to work at Politoys
November 1981 The second bank loan arrives, by this time there are 2,5 million cubes on stock, books on the cube become the top best-sellers and they remain there for long
3-10 November 1981 The new contract with Ideal has failed (Politoys (Mr Ferenc Manczur) leaves the room in the last minute, changing his mind, after the promising negotiations)
1981 Politoys has planned the production of 500 thousand snake-toys for this year,
The first Rubik-snakes appear. Japanese fakes appear just after a few thousand originals are manufactured by Politoys. The game of the year in many countries, Erno Rubik is the 'man of the year'. Despite the immense demand, Politoys is only able to satisfy 25% of the European demand (this is favourable for the makers of fake products)
Tom Kramer warns: If Politoys continues its business policy pursued so far it will further spoil the contact with Ideal which will jeopardise the ongoing contract with them. (If the contract was terminated either by Ideal or by Politoys, Politoys could have been able to sell a few thousand product per year, and nothing elsewhere)
The manufacture of the following products is started this year:
FOK-GYEM Industrial Co: Babel Tower, 2-ring game (Hungarian Rings)
Dunaplast Plastic Industry: World-Championship Football-ball
VIDEOTON: a variety of the Babel Tower, Varikon
Politoys Industrial Co.: Snake-toy, Bognar Magic Balls, Domino, 2x2x2 cube
Politoys manufactures 7 million cubes this year
The salary of Politoys workers increases by 2-2,5 times (including skilled workers) however, this can be due to overtime-payment and other allowances. There are workers who work 50-60, what more, 90 hours extra per month (this means 2 weeks of overtime per month)
20 February 1982 The Hungarian state introduces a news blackout in connection with the cube and Politoys
Beginning of 1982 822 thousand cubes return from the export of 1 million cubes to the USA. (are these not the fake cubes purchased by Politoys from Far-East?)
2 June 1982 The first Rubik Cube World Championship in Budapest with the participation of 19 countries (1 person per country)
June 1982 Manczur Ferenc quit the cooperation, firs he is replaced temporarily by Mr Gyula Nemcsok, later by Mr Zoltan Tomori.
By this time 550 million unsold cubes are accumulated on stock.
Summer 1982 Politoys goes bankrupt
1982 Politoys planned the production of 6 million Snake-toys for this year. Erno Rubik, on the money earned from the cube, sets up 3 foundations with the aim of helping talented inventors and inventions.
Politoys planned the production of the further following games for this year:
Blind-cube, blind-domino, Bognar magic balls, Bognar-roads, Rubik board game
Summer 1983 Politoys still has unsold cubes on stock in the value of 23 million Forints (without continuing manufacture)
1983 Erno Rubik sets up the Rubik Studio,
He is awarded with a State Prize
1984 The book entitled "the Hungarian cube – or are we still so wealthy" appears by Andras Mezei
1985 Erno Rubik invent the Magic Squares this year, we know this under several names: Ring Magic or Rubik's Magic
1986 The manufacturing of the Magic Squares starts this year, Erno Rubik invents the 'big brother' of the Magic Squares: (Rubik's Master Magic) consisting of 5 rings and 12 elements
1987 Erno Rubik becomes honorary professor
1990 The Hungarian Academy of Architects chooses Erno Rubik as President, honorary President from 1996
1995 Erno Rubik is awarded with 'Gabor Denes' Prize for his life's work