00:00 Pinball machines have a long history dating back to the 19th century, starting with the baguette table and evolving with the addition of the ball shooter in the 1830s.

04:49 Pinball machines experienced a surge in popularity in the 1930s due to their affordability and availability during the Great Depression, and although flippers were not introduced until 1947, they fundamentally changed the game from one of chance to one of skill.

09:39 Pinball machines were outlawed in most major cities in the United States in the 1940s because they were considered a form of gambling, and Mayor LaGuardia of New York even ordered raids to destroy and dump pinball machines in the river.

14:13 Pinball machines were banned in Oakland, California for 80 years, but the ban was recently overturned, and pinball remains popular and continues to be innovated upon by manufacturers.

18:37 Pinball had its golden age between 1948 and 1958, but declined in popularity with the rise of video games in the 90s, until Bally Williams came up with Pinball 2000, a hybrid of video gaming and pinball, which was not successful, leaving Stern as the only company making pinball machines until Jersey Jack was founded.

23:28 Pinball is experiencing a renaissance, with a growing market for home sales rather than arcades, and a rise in demand for vintage machines, with many being imported from overseas.

27:52 Pinball machines have a steel ball that can reach speeds up to 90 miles per hour, and some machines use magnets to catch and hold the ball, while others use ceramic powerballs; the scoring and gameplay of pinball is tracked by a motherboard, and while solid state electronics have taken over the back glass, the actual function of the pinball machine is still electromechanical.

32:21 Pinball machines have about a half a mile of wiring, a tilted wooden playfield, and some newer models have replaced the wood with plasma or LCD screens, but the overall design and gameplay remains fairly old school and entertaining.

36:41 Pinball machines often have hidden games within the game, such as in the example of high roller pinball, where players can unlock a game of poker on the back glass and earn more points by hitting specific targets.

41:05 Pinball machines have a feature called "match" where players can win a free game if the last two digits of their score match a randomly generated number, and there is also a tilt mechanism in place to prevent cheating by tilting the machine.

45:37 The host discusses a listener's experience with patients who bring in lint and hair follicles thinking it's an infection, and emphasizes the importance of treating the root cause of the patient's symptoms.