Coin Slot Magazine - #020 - 1976 - September [International Arcade Museum]
flourished and a penny for up to 10 balls per play was an enticement
few could refuse.
During the thirties pinballs thrived and many new features were
added. Chronologically here are the highlights of the growth of pin-
ball from the thirties up to the present.
1933
Bally Al RWAY had the first mechanical scoring.
Bally
ROCKET used the first dry cell battery and elec
tricity was introduced.
1934
PROSPECTOR added the tilt mechanism.
BIG BROTHER introduced sound with the first bell.
CRISS CROSS added the first backglass.
1937
Bally BUMPER used electric bumpers to give the ball some
1939
Exhibit CONTACT introduced larger type cabinet, ani
bounce.
mated backglass and free ball mechanism.
Becuase of the war effort and the deployment of all our resources
towards that effort no pinball machines were produced during the
war years.
1946
Williams entered the market and has since become one of
the three major manufacturers of pinball games.
1947
Gottlieb HUMPTY DUMPTY was the first flipper game.
All the manufacturers began to use the flipper.
1953
Williams introduced digital scoring but because the pre
vious scoring had been in the millions player appeal for the
lower digital scoring just wasn't there and it didn't catch
on until 1959.
1964
Bally introduced the automatic ball lift. Until then there
was a manual lift and the games actually contained 5 balls.
With the introduction of the automatic ball lift the game
contained electric ball count and there was only need for
1 ball. Again this was adopted by all the manufacturers.
1972
1975
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will be a slow change over but it is almost inevitable that
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Williams began to use DC pop bumpers to increase the
all the manufacturers will eventually make the switch over
from electro-mechanical
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pinballs to electronic pinballs.
http://www.arcade-museum.com/