It was May 30, 1871, when Montague Redgrave of Cincinnati, Ohio was issued patent US115357A for his “Improvements in Bagatelles”. His invention was a smaller table top version of what had been a very popular French parlor game in the 1700s. In addition, Redgrave made some changes by adding a wooden spring-powered plunger which propelled balls onto the playing surface, similar to what would eventually become a standard feature on pinball machines many decades later. He also decorated the play field with scoring cups, bells and even a metal ‘swinging gate’ to alter the downward path of a silver ball or a marble.
Within a few years, this game was widely imitated with many new versions being patented, but it was at the turn of the century when things began to rapidly expand. Nickelodeons opened showcasing very short films and vaudeville acts.
Read the rest of this article on page 6 by clicking here!
Be sure to sign up to get Old School Gamer Magazine for free by clicking here!
This is the general editors account for Old School Gamer Magazine. Press releases and other general information sent to Old School Gamer are often posted here.
