Filed under: Videos , Gaming , Lists The first patent for pinball was granted in 1871 to a Cincinnati-based inventor named Montague Redgrave. The patent was for his ‘Improvements in Bagatelle,’ a table game that dates back to 18th century France, where it was popular in the royal court. Over the next 139 years, pinball saw many peaks and valleys. During the depression, the game satisfied a desire for cheap entertainment and quick profits. Five to seven balls cost a penny and an entire machine cost less than $20. At the peak of pinball popularity, tavern and drug store proprietors were known to recoup their initial investments in a matter of days. Because of its connections to gambling, pinball was banned for large swaths of the 20th century in major metropolitan areas, including New York and LA. Meanwhile, tilt mechanisms, free plays, movies, malt shops and microprocessors ushered in a series of golden ages for the game, resulting in the prized and collectible machines many people know and love today. Long story short, there are some pretty awesome videos of vintage pinball machines on the web. We’ll start in the 00’s and go all the way back to the 1930’s. 2007 Stern Spider-Man 1997 Williams Medieval Madness 1984 Williams Space Shuttle 1976 Gottlieb Surf Champ 1976 Gottlieb 300 1963 Williams Beat the Clock 1950 Gottlieb Knockout 1941 Genco Seven Up 1935 Genco Flying Colors Share link:// Wikipedia previously:// The 29 Weirdest, Most Creative, Best Pinball Machines
