“Ever since I was a young boy, I’ve played the silver ball.”
Of course, those are the opening lines of The Who’s 1969 classic, “Pinball Wizard.”
I was just a year old when the song was originally released for the rock opera “Tommy,” but it has lived on for generations of players like me who grew up dropping coins in pinball machines. Many of us simply couldn’t resist the challenge of those bumpers, buzzers, lights, bells, flippers — and the silver ball.
Yes, kids and adults alike were mesmerized by these simple games throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but pinball was around for decades prior.
It seemed to start with British inventor Montague Redgrave, who was granted a patent for his “Improvements in Bagatelle” in 1871. Bagatelle was a game invented in late 18th-century France that used a table and balls like a miniature version of billiards. Redgrave’s changes included adding a coiled spring and a plunger, making the game smaller, replacing the large bagatelle balls with marbles, and adding the inclined playfield, according to a story published at thoughtco.com. As most of you know, these all became features of the later game of pinball.
The story states how pinball machines appeared in the 1930s as counter-top machines (without legs) and featured the characteristics created by Redgrave. In 1932, manufacturers began adding legs. The tilt mechanism was invented in 1934 as a solution to the problem of players physically lifting and shaking the games. Also in 1934, machines were redesigned to be used with electrical outlets, which allowed for new types of sounds, music and lights.
By the early 1950s, pinball machines began to use separate lights behind the glass scoreboard to show scores. The 1950s also introduced the first two-player games. If you want to dig deeper on the history — and I know you do — check out the ThoughtCo story here.
I was introduced to the pinball machine at our local roller skating rink in the 1970s. I would pull myself up by my outstretched fingers to take a look at the big kids playing, only to be told to back off so I wouldn’t tilt it. And when letting go, I would tilt it.
My friend Ian had a pinball machine in his basement. Now that was cool. He became quite the pinball wizard with those “crazy flipper fingers,” as I recall. I am certain it was because he had “such a supple wrist.”
Have a marvelous Monday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com
See Shane Goodman's other columns here. |
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Clear Mortgage meteorology
Fantastic weather continues today. Expect a cool down tomorrow and again on Friday as our dry outlook stretches on.
For help with pre-approvals or refinancing, get in touch with Originating Branch Manager Carrie Hansen at carrie.mortgage. |
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| Watch for the October CITYVIEW magazine on racks later this week! | | | Belly Up... to Either/Or in the October issue of CITYVIEW, on racks later this week.
Also featured:
The best horror films and film scores, Center Stage, Food Dude, Civic Skinny, Iowa Wild and Des Moines Buccaneers previews, Iowa Artists and much more.
Meanwhile, catch the September issue now!
| | | READ THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE |
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The 2024 results ...
CITYVIEW's Best Of Des Moines® | | | Best Local Place to get LASIK Eye Surgery
1. Wolfe Eye Clinic
2. Des Moines Eye Surgeons
3. LasikPlus
Read all the 2024 results.
Cast your votes in the 2025 Best Of Des Moines Poll now! Open until Nov. 22. Results to be published in the February 2025 issue of CITYVIEW.
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| Featured home for sale | | |
$350,000 511 56th St., Des Moines, IA 50312
Enjoy living in this turn of the century home loaded with charm and character. Stay cool this fall relaxing in the screened-in front porch, and stay warm and cozy in the winter warming up to the real wood fireplace in the over-sized living room. There is a large formal dining room separating the kitchen and living room that is perfect for entertaining friends and family.
See the listing here.
| | | See More Homes For Sale |
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| SOLD: Featured commercial real estate transaction | | | 4250 N.W. SECOND ST., DES MOINES
SALE DATE: 2024-06-19
SALE PRICE: $151,000
SELLER: CANNON PROPERTIES LLC
BUYER: EFKAMP, SHARON MICHELLE
ACRES: 0.251
SQUARE FEET: 1,512 |
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Fast food updates.
Sonic is touting a $1.99 menu which includes small shakes, quarter pound double burgers, small nuggets, some wraps and chili cheese coneys… Burger King is offering two for $5 from a list of Whoppers, Big Fish, original chicken sandwiches and chicken fries... Wendy’s has two for $3 breakfasts from a list of sausage biscuit, egg and cheese biscuit, or small seasoned potatoes. Chick-fil-A has brought back their honey pepper pimento chicken sandwich and introduced banana pudding milkshakes... McDonald’s is offering two classics for $3.99 including McDouble, McChicken and McNuggets.
Tyson Foods, which produces about 20% of the meat sold in the U.S., has been sued for "greenwashing." Since 2021, the company has claimed it will reach net-zero emissions by 2050, and about two years ago, it began touting plans for its “climate-smart” beef. The lawsuit, brought by Environmental Working Group, alleges that those statements are misleading because Tyson Foods has no real plans to achieve these goals. (WSJ) "Greenwashing" is a legal term for deceiving people into supporting environmental causes. Who knew?
Monday deals
• Centro (1003 Locust St., Des Moines) offers half-price pizza and Peronis on Monday.
• Who's on First (810 E. First St., Ankeny) has steak night on Monday, and it's an 8-ounce filet with salad, mashed potatoes and beans for $22.95
• Pelican Post (265 50th St., West Des Moines) has a special today on hot beef sandwiches, $10.95 until 4 p.m.
• Eastside Eddie’s (3517 E. 26th St., Des Moines) Monday $10 special is ham and Swiss sliders with fries.
• Tito’s Lounge (3916 Urbandale Drive, Urbandale) offers all-you-can-eat wings Mondays
• Trostel's Greenbriar (5810 Merle Hay Road, Johnston) offers half-pound steak burgers with fries or salad and a beer for a Monday-only price of $14
• Monday brings prime rib specials to both Chicago Speakeasy (1520 Euclid Ave., Des Moines) and Christopher's (2816 Beaver Ave., Des Moines).
• Johnny's Hall of Fame (302 Court Ave., Des Moines) has $12 burger baskets on Mondays and Fridays.
• Price Chopper stores are selling chicken hindquarters for $.69/pound frozen catfish nuggets for $2.29/pound and frozen tilapia for $3.99/pound through Monday.
• Aldi stores are selling Michigan Gala apples at $1.89 per 3-pound bag; pumpkins for $4.49 each; St. Louis pork ribs for $2.49/pound; and USDA Choice briskets for $5.79/pound, all through Tuesday.
• Urban Cellars (640 S. 50th St., West Des Moines) offers $60 wine dinners for two on Mondays including two entrees with soup or salad, a dessert and a bottle on wine.
• Fareway has Roku gin on sale for $19.99/fifth today only. Roku is a very interesting gin, made with six (roku in Japanese) botanicals, none of which are used in London gins and all of which are indigenous to Japan. Roku is usually priced over $30/bottle.
— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com |
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| Featured in the current issue of Indianola Living magazine | | | Tractors and traditions
Read cultivates old and new memories.
By Becky Kolosik
Allen Read was about 6 years old when he had his first experience driving a tractor on the family farm.
“My job was to steer between the rows of hay while grandpa and my dad picked up the bales as we went along,” he says. “When we reached the end of the row, one of them would steer to turn it around, and we would head down the next row.”
At 10, he soloed with the tractor out in the field. He laughs now, but says his mom wasn’t too happy about it. As the oldest of three boys, Read’s dad made sure he was instructed on how to run the tractor on different farm operations — and he and his brothers were put to work feeding the dairy herd and hogs, tending to row crops and baling hay. | | | READ MORE |
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FROM KCCI: 'It's doable for us to reduce the homicide rate': Murder victims' loved ones grieve, find motivation to address homicide rate. DESMOINES, Iowa — Staked onto the roadside outside the nonprofit Creative Visions, hundreds of laminated photos brought some to tears Wednesday at an event memorializing murder victims in central Iowa. ...READ MORE
FROM WHO-TV: Iowa golfers beat Guinness Record for the fastest round of team golf. GRANGER, Iowa — History was made on Sunday at Jester Park in Granger when 62 golfers beat the Guinness World Record for the fastest round of team golf. They played 18 holes. One golfer tee’d off to about four golfers standing in the fairway. The closest golfer then hits from the fairway to the green, where another four golfers are waiting to putt the ball into the hole. ... READ MORE
FROM WOI-DT Local 5: 25 unclaimed veterans and spouses laid to rest at Iowa Veterans Cemetery. In the past six years, 70 unclaimed veterans and spouses have been laid to rest. Friday's ceremony was the first to have all five military branches present.....READ MORE |
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ESPN: Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes hits Xavier Worthy with 54-yard TD. ...READ MORE
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: Alabama Becomes National Championship Favorite After Beating Georgia in Instant Classic ... READ MORE
CBS Sports: 2024 Presidents Cup standings, scores, results: United States' dominance pushes winning streak to 10 straight. ...READ MORE |
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1954: USS Nautilus—world’s first nuclear submarine—is commissioned. ... READ MORE
1947: World Series broadcast on TV for first time. On September 30, 1947, the New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers, 5-3, in Game 1 of the World Series—the first Fall Classic game broadcast on television. It is the second "Subway Series" between and Yankees and Dodgers and first World Series to involve a Black player. Jackie Robinson of the Dodgers broke Major League Baseball's color barrier six months earlier..... READ MORE
1889: Wyoming legislators write the first state constitution to grant women the vote. ... READ MORE
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| Birthdays and notables | | | Happy Birthday Jim Hibbs!
These celebrities were born on this date: Fran Drescher, Al Leong, Alistair Petrie, Angie Dickinson, Barry Williams, Maddie Ziegler, Drew Dirksen, Monica Bellucci, T-Pain, Ki Hong Lee, Lacey Chabert, Levi Miller, Kieran Culkin
SUBMIT: Send your birthday greetings and congratulatory notes to: tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com |
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The answer to yesterday's riddle:
Why did the dessert go to the ear doctor? HE WAS A TRIFLE DEAF! Guesses sent by Gail Tomlinson and William Snyder.
Today's riddle:
Why is Cinderella so bad at soccer?
Have a guess? Email tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com |
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To advertise in the Daily Umbrella or the Iowa Living magazines, contact:
Jolene Goodman
Vice President
Office: 515-953-4822 ext. 319
Mobile: 515-326-0082
jolene@iowalivingmagazines.com
©Big Green Umbrella Media, Inc., all rights reserved.
www.biggreenumbrellamedia.com. Add webmaster@dmcityview.com to your address book to ensure delivery. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Click here to get it delivered to your inbox for FREE! |
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