On January 28, 1958 at precisely 1.58 pm the application for the very first LEGO® brick patent was filed at the Danish Directorate for Patents and Trademarks. Soon after, patent applications were filed in numerous countries around the world.

In the months after the application for the Danish patent, applications were filed in countries such as Norway (March 12, 1958), Sweden (March 22, 1958), Germany (April 10, 1958) and Holland (April 14, 1958). Also in 1958, applications were filed in France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy.

The following year, in 1959, the LEGO reach was increased even further to include countries such as Israel, South Africa, England, Poland, Ireland, Turkey, Finland, Portugal and Spain.

And today, as we know, LEGO play is reaching millions of children all over the world.

More information has come to light about the development of the development of the LEGO Brick. Speaking with Kristian Reimer Hauge, one of the Corporate Historians at the LEGO House as part of Brickvention online, told me that ” there was a meeting in 1958, on January 23rd, between Godfredt Kirk Christiansen, second generation owner , and some other people. And that is where they came up with that [the idea of tubes underneath the bricks.] Five days later, on January 28th, we took out the patent for the LEGO Brick. That is a new discovery for us.”