I te Poutu-te-rangi 1970, i waihangatia e Larry D. Nichols tētahi 2×2×2 "Puzzle with Pieces Rotatable in Groups" ā, i whakamanatia he tono ārai ārai ārai a Kanata mō taua mea. I whakakotahihia te kōpae a Nichols e ngā aukume. I whakawhiwhia a Nichols ki te U.S. Patent 3,655,201 i te 11 o Aperira 1972, e rua tau i mua i te wa i waihangahia ai e Rubik tana Kōpae. Pātai: Āhea a Nichols i tono ai mō tētahi ārai o tana kōpae?
Hepetema 1970