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My responses to questions posted on various news groups

Submitted by web2k on Sun, 06/27/2004 - 12:59.
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Response to a question on rec.puzzles:

Submitted by web2k on Wed, 09/01/2004 - 07:59.
On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 19:19:44 GMT, Dave wrote: >A general question. Did the USA have the cube before the UK? I ask this >simply because I have seen boxes from america with 1980 on them whereas I >seem to remember 1981 being the year of the puzzle over here in the UK. >Thanks To this, there was a response, quoting http://web.idirect.com/~cubeman/cchrono.txt A Rubik's Cube Chronology Researched and maintained by Mark Longridge (c) 1996-98 See the link in the above blog for details John Bailey
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Chronology

Submitted by cubex on Fri, 09/03/2004 - 23:54.
John,

That version of the chronology is old. You can see the latest and greatest at Chronology or by clicking on main.

Of course the cube appeared first in Hungary as the Magic Cube or Buvos Kocka (sorry about the lack of accents, got to figure out the best way to do that in drupal).

If you look in the archives or the newest chronology you will see that Bela Szalai first saw the cube in 1978 and later produced cubes in the United States at LGI. I have one of the LGI cubes. They were white plastic and they predate the Ideal Toy cubes. You can find some references to them in the cube-lovers archives.

I have talked with several people who bought Hungarian cubes with them to the U.K. and the United States before Ideal Toy launched the cube in North America. Of course Ideal Toy manufacturered cubes both in the U.K. and the United States. I'm pretty sure but not positive the Rubik's Game cubes were made in New Jersey.

In my opinion the Berkshire cubes made in England were very good and also the Rubik's Deluxe/Game cubes made in the U.S. were very good.

I would hazard a guess that since the U.K. is much closer to Hungary that they may have got the Ideal Toy cubes a bit sooner than in North America. I can recall first seeing the cube in the fall of 1980 and Ideal Toy got exclusive rights in September of 1979. I can't say when exactly the LGI cubes appeared, but I know it was before the Ideal Toy launch. LGI cubes were made from the molds of the early Hungarian Cubes.... you can see little ridges on the edge cubies on both.

Mark
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