Pinball machine:Black Knight: Limited Edition Pinball Machine

Williams's Black Knight pinball machine was among the most popular pinball machines of the earlly 1980s. Designed by Steve Ritchie and released by Williams in 1980, Black Knight included the first "magna save" feature, which gave players an opportunity to save their ball from draining through the outlane with the use of a button-actviated magnet. Black Knight was also the first electronic or solid state pinball machine with a multilevel playfield. Williams sold more than 13,000 units. The game proved so popular that they created this "limited edition" version of the game (600 units) in 1981.

The history of pinball dates back to 18th-century Europe; many similar games gradually evolved from court games--games played with balls upon a playing surface, including bowls and even golf. Table versions, it seems, were inevitable inventions to make these games portable and to bring them indoors. What we recognize as pinball evolved in America during the 20th century. The year 1947 saw the invention of the "flipper," which added a whole new dimension to the game. In the 1960s, smaller and cheaper home versions were commonly available.