5 Things You May Not Know About the Rubik’s Cube

More than just a puzzling slice of 1980s kitsch or a test of geeky prowess, the Rubik’s Cube has a culture and cult following all its own. Read all about it in Ian Scheffler’s Cracking the Cube (Touchstone).

Here are a few fun facts about the cube to keep you busy until the book’s release October 18.

1. The product was originally called a Magic Cube.
2. Will Smith, Justin Bieber and Ryan Gosling are all fans.
3. If you’re having trouble solving the cube, remember there are 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 possible configurations.
4. The cube is made up of 26 smaller cubes called “cubelets.”
5. Lucas Etter holds the record for fastest single Rubik’s Cube solve. The 15-year-old solved the cube in 4.904 seconds in 2015.