The game Tetris got its name form merging the Greek numerical prefix tetra- and the inventor’s favorite game, tennis. Tetra- references the fact that all of the pieces in the tile-matching puzzle game have four segments.

It was on this day, June 6th, in 1984 that Tetris was released. It would then go on to become one of the best-selling games in video game history.

Tetris, invented in the Soviet Union, was the first entertainment software to be exported to the United States from the USSR. It is now available for almost every video game console and computer system. Also, Tetris is included on most graphing calculators, cell phones, and portable media players.