The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
A puzzle that confounded people worldwide during the late 1970s and early 1980s was patented by Hungarian inventor Erno Rubik in 1977. The puzzle was a cube, assembled around a sphere, so that all six sides moved in all directions. When the puzzle was purchased, each side of the cube was all one color. After mixing up the colors, the frustrated puzzle solver would try to get the cube back to its original position. With millions of combinations possible, many of the puzzles were never solved.
Although the Ideal Toy Company, which purchased the American rights, made $75 million on the cube between 1980 and 1983, a successful 1984 patent infringement suit by American game inventor Larry D. Nichols cut into those profits significantly. Nichols claimed he had invented a similar puzzle in 1969.