Tetris was created in 1984 by Soviet computer scientist Alexey Pajitnov.
Pajitnov developed the game on an Elektronika 60 computer while working at the Soviet Academy of Sciences in Moscow. Its falling geometric pieces, called tetrominoes, were inspired partly by the pentomino puzzle game he enjoyed.
The name combines “tetra,” referring to the pieces’ four squares, with “tennis,” one of Pajitnov’s favorite sports. The game spread internationally through computer networks and commercial versions, although Pajitnov did not initially control the worldwide rights.
A common mix-up is crediting Nintendo with creating Tetris. Nintendo helped make it a global hit, especially through the 1989 Game Boy version, but the original game came from Pajitnov several years earlier.