Today, Lego turns a ripe old age of 75. Founded in 1932 by carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen from Billund, Denmark, the company made wooden toys. The trademark name didn't come until 1934, inspired from the Danish words "leg godt" (play well), and it wasn't until 1949 that Lego began producing their now-famous interlocking bricks.

The design finalized in 1958 and it took another five years to find proper materials to produce the blocks. So even though Legos are one of those "why didn't I think of that" ideas, creating the actual product was a painstaking process. Luckily that process will pay off for generations to come.

Ahh, Legos. I actually have none in my home at the moment, despite a plethora of other adult adolescent gear. Maybe it's a good day for a run to the store. [earthtimes via neatorama]