The origin of Tetris' Tetrimino

Ever had that dream where you're frantically stacking oddly-shaped blocks while a catchy Russian tune plays in the background? No? Just us? Well, blame Tetris for that! This Soviet-born brainchild has been messing with our spatial awareness and sleep patterns since 1984. Back then, while the Cold War was still going strong, Soviet software engineer Alexey Pajitnov was tinkering away in a Moscow computer lab, about to unleash a global phenomenon.

Pajitnov's creation hit the world with seven distinct tetriminos, each made of four squares with an attitude. In the official Tetris world, they're called tetriminos - a term trademarked by The Tetris Company. But in mathematics, these four-square pieces are known as tetrominos. Same shapes, different legal territories!

These cheeky little shapes went on to invade everything from massive arcade cabinets to those indestructible Game Boys. The name "Tetris" itself is a mashup of "tetra" (Greek for four) and "tennis" (Pajitnov's favorite sport). Four squares, tennis-like fun - simple and catchy. And super addicting.

The Tetris Effect is a real thing. It's when players start seeing falling blocks in their mind's eye or dreams. Don't worry, it's not a glitch in the Matrix - it's just your brain on Tetris. From its humble pixelated beginnings to today's slick versions, Tetris has outlasted countless gaming fads, appearing on nearly every gaming platform imaginable, from Game Boys to graphing calculators.

Tetris isn't just a game - it's a cultural icon and a lifestyle. You've probably tetris'd your car in a parking spot or your groceries into the fridge more than once.

It's the game that's shaped how we think about puzzles, challenges, and the addictive nature of "just one more round." It's ruined countless sleep schedules, but it's time to put those years of "research" to the test! Which of these shapes was NOT part of the original Tetris crew?