A brief history of Legos:

Back in primordial times, well before PlayStation 2, Lego was about building structures. The brainchild of Danish toymaker Ole Christiansen, the term Lego was coined in 1934 and derives its name from 'Leg godt' (play well). A forerunner to the current brick was invented in 1942; the current 'stud and tube' model, in 1958. The first sets of Lego 'Automatic Binding Bricks' were sold in Denmark in 1959, eventually making their way to these shores as an instant hit in 1961.

The whole article is actually about the writer's visit to Legoland, a 50+ acre theme park about 30 miles north of San Diego.