Writer of Pop Culture

Cool and refreshing news about pop culture and entertainment.

This Day in Pop Culture: March 29

It was on this day in pop culture history that one of the funniest sketch comedy shows ended and a special puzzle cube was just beginning.

March 29, 2026

2–4 minutes

There are two different types of people – those who can figure the Rubik’s Cube and those who cannot. I fall within the latter group. It’s brought me nothing but frustration. What brings joy (still) is watching reruns of The Carol Burnett Show, which ended its run on this day.

The "Carol Burnett Show" ended on this day while a Hungarian professor's "spatial logical toy" became a huge fad. They are both fondly remembered. — (*PawinG/Pixabay*)

1983: The Rubik’s Cube Gets a Patent

Erno Rubik, a Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture invented a “spatial logical toy” in 1974. It was widely believed that he created it to help his students understand 3D objects, but apparently, his actual purpose for doing so was to solve a structural problem of moving the parts separately without causing the whole cube to fall apart. It was only after he had scrambled it for the first time and couldn’t get it back together in the right order that he realized that he had just created the next great new puzzle.

Rubik obtained a Hungarian patent for this “Magic Cube” in 1975 with the first batches produced and released into Hungarian toy shops two years later. In 1979, he made a deal with Ideal Toys who changed the name to Rubik’s Cube which debuted at the New York Toy Fair in 1980. However, it wasn’t until this day in 1983 that Rubik received his U.S. patent (#4,378,116) for the cube.

1978: The End of ‘The Carol Burnett Show’

Carol Burnett is one of America’s funniest comedians. Beginning in September of 1967, she was given her own variety/sketch comedy show on CBS. For 11 years, Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner, Tim Conway and later Dick Van Dyke brought viewers to tears with laughter.

Such notable characters like Mr. Tudball, Mrs. Wiggins, Stella Toddler, Mother Marcus, Mama, Eunice, and The Oldest Man have become our favorites. After 278 episodes, the show aired it’s last on this day in 1978.

During its run, the show won 25 prime-time Emmy Awards and is considered one of TV’s greatest TV shows of all time by TV Guide and Time magazine.

The show had a few revivals and spinoffs over the years:

1979: Carol Burnett & Company – a short four-week continuation of the original show but without Korman on CBS.
1980: The Tim Conway Show – Korman also starred as a co-host, but it only ran for one season
1982: Eunice – A two-hour “Family” special which starred Burnett, Korman, Lawrence, Betty White and Ken Berry.
1983: Mama’s Family – Due to the success of Eunice, Lawrence headlined her own show about Mama’s other children. It ran on NBC for two seasons before continuing in syndication through 1990.
1990: Carol & Company – Burnett starred in an anthology comedy/drama series that also starred Anita Barone, Meagen Fay, Richard Kind, Terry Kiser, Peter Krause and Jeremy Piven. It ran for two seasons.
1990: The Carol Burnett Show – One more time on CBS, this new series starred new regulars Meagen Fay, Richard Kind, Chris Barnes, Roger Kabler and Jessica Lundy. Sadly, this one just didn’t resonate with viewers and ended after just six episodes.