From Russia With Fun! Tetris turns 25

So today is the 25th birthday of Tetris, the figurative grand-daddy of all popular and addictive puzzle games.  Originally crafted by Russian programmer Alexey Pajitnov June 6th, 1986, its name is a combination of the words “tetra” and Pajitnov’s favorite sport of tennis. ‘Betcha didn’t know that did you? But, it’s certainly amazing how one man’s small-time project and past time grew to be enjoyed and distributed amongst so many.

I remember first playing it when it came out on the original GameBoy as it was bundled with the system at launch in good ol’ 1989 (I would have just turned 6). Eventually my brother and I aquired the NES version, so we finally got to experience the game in color. Yay!

Since, Tetris has graced a multitude of platforms, cell phones and PDAs being some I have personally used. It has also proven to become  a pop icon of sorts finding its way in to architecture, art, furniture, and… ice cube trays?

Cheers to you, oh immortal Tetris, and here’s to many more years of sequential interlocking blocks!