Skip to main content

World record! 14-year-old solves Rubik’s Cube record in under 5 seconds

Toy trends come and go, but somehow, the Rubik’s Cube endures in the form of contests dedicated to solving the famous puzzle faster than ever before. The famous toy remains an enduring toy icon of the 1980’s. Last week, a fourteen-year-old at one of these events in Clarksville, Maryland, shattered the world record in a competition to solve the puzzle, doing so in under five seconds.

Lucas Etter set a time of 4.9 seconds, crushing the previous world record time of 5.25. That kind of time jump in the record is rare in the history of cube-solving, yet the record has been reset twice this year.

Recommended Videos

It’s an amazing feat when you consider that the cube is configurable in 43 quintillion different ways (here’s what that number looks like: 43,000,000,000,000,000,000). Don’t blink or turn your head, because you might miss this record for the ages in the following video:

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Solving cubes under competitive rules is serious business and times are only recognized under sanctioned conditions from the World Cube Association. The conditions of these contests call for a computer-dictated random scrambling of the famed color cubes. The participant is allowed a mere 15 seconds to review the cube before solve time officially begins.

The Rubik’s cube was invented back in 1974 by Erno Rubik, a Hungarian architect. It took some years to become the sensation we know today. It wasn’t until 1980 when Ideal Toy Corp licensed the toy that it became a hit. Today, it stands as the biggest selling toy of all time, with more than 350 million units sold.

Although the toy has faded in popularity in the decades that have passed, it persists in many ways, largely thanks to these types of competitions held around the world. Different techniques with names such as the Petrus system and the Fridrich method have emerged over the years and have helped take the record times ever lower.

John Casaretto
Former Digital Trends Contributor
John is the founder of the security company BlackCert, a provider of SSL digital certificates and encryption products. A…
Avowed preload guide: release date, file size, and more
A spellcaster holds a book in Avowed.

We don't know for sure if Avowed will be one of the best Xbox Series X games, but hopes are high that it will be. This year is packed with amazing upcoming video games like Doom The Dark Ages and The Outer Worlds 2, but Avowed is the first to kick off Xbox's year. RPG fans are beyond excited to visit the Living Lands for the first time knowing the level of quality Obsidian is capable of. Besides knowing what type of character you want to be and what weapons you want to play with, you need to make sure your console or PC is ready to let you into the action as soon as the game launches. Here are all the preload details you need to know about Avowed.
Avowed release date

Avowed is coming out for everyone on February 18, but those who preorder the Premium Edition will be entitled to 5 days early access and can start playing on February 13.
Avowed file size

Read more
The Nintendo Switch 2 Direct is coming in early April
The Switch 2 next to a TV with Mario Kart.

Nintendo Switch 2 – First-look trailer

Nintendo has given us an official time for its Nintendo Switch 2 Direct: April 2 at 9 AM ET, 6 AM PT. A Direct had been promised when Nintendo first revealed the Nintendo Switch 2, but in its usual fashion, the company provided only the bare minimum details. And even though we now know the exact time of the stream, Nintendo hasn't given any more information on the console itself.

Read more
Fortnite gets a rhythm-based obstacle course in Patchwork Parkour
One of the tools available to players in Patchwork Parkour in Fortnite.

Patchwork Parkour by Look North World and HarmonixLabs - Created In Fortnite

Fortnite gains a new mode today called Patchwork Parkour, an obstacle course game with a rhythm twist. The idea of an obstacle course — or "obby" game — first started on games like Roblox and Spatial. Developers Harmonix and Look North World partnered up to bring this style of game to Fortnite through the Unreal Editor for Fortnite, or UEFN.

Read more