Larry D. Nichols facts for kids

Larry D. Nichols, born in 1939 in the United States, is a clever inventor and puzzle designer. He grew up in Xenia, Ohio. He studied chemistry at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, and later at Harvard. Larry Nichols is most famous for inventing mechanical puzzles, especially 'The Nichols Cube Puzzle' in 1972.

He has lived in Arlington, Massachusetts, with his wife Karen since 1959.

Diagram from Nichols' patent showing a cube held together with magnets

Pocket Cube animation.

The Nichols Cube Puzzle: A Twisty Challenge!

In 1957, long before the famous “Rubik's Cube” came out, Larry Nichols thought of a twisty cube puzzle. It was a 2x2x2 cube, meaning it had two small cubes on each side. This puzzle was made from eight smaller cubes held together by magnets. These magnets allowed the cube's parts to twist and turn. The goal was to mix up the colors on the cube's six faces and then put them back in order.

Larry made many early models. In 1968, he built a working version of his puzzle. On April 11, 1972, he received a U.S. patent for his invention, called the Nichols' Cube. His patent mainly focused on the 2x2x2 puzzle. However, it also mentioned that larger versions could be made.

Later, Larry's patents became part of a court case. This was between his employer and the Ideal Toy Company, which sold the Rubik's Cube. In 1985, a court decided that the Rubik’s Cube had copied Nichols' patent. But in 1986, another court ruled that only the smaller 2x2x2 Rubik’s Pocket Cube was too similar to Nichols' design. The popular 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube was found to be different enough.

Other Twisty Puzzles

Many inventors have created similar twisting puzzles over the years. Here are a few examples:

• A manipulative toy by William O. Gustafson in 1960.
• The Rubik's Cube in 1974.
• Frank Fox received a British patent for a round sliding puzzle in 1974.
• Terutoshi Ishige received a Japanese patent for a 3x3x3 puzzle in 1976.

Beyond Puzzles: Larry's Other Inventions

Larry Nichols earned a degree in chemistry in 1958 from DePauw University. He then went on to get his doctorate at Harvard. While he was a student at Harvard, he enjoyed inventing games and puzzles.

Later, he became the chief scientist for a company called Moleculon Research Corporation. There, in 1973, he invented a very important material called Poroplastic. Poroplastic film looks like a normal plastic. But it can hold a lot of liquid inside tiny holes. This special material is used for things like delivering medicines slowly into the body. It's also used in products that help with environmental safety.