But the first machines to resemble pinball as we know it — pegs, coin-operated play — appeared in the 1930s, with the Chicago-based company Gottlieb. Its success led to dozens of imitators ...

A Stern pinball machine, which takes roughly 16 months to design and 30 hours to assemble, includes 3,500 parts and a quarter-mile of wires — and it's all hand-crafted.

Gary Stern is Chicago’s pinball wizard, but not by playing the silver ball. The head of the world’s largest and oldest maker of arcade-quality pinball games, based in Melrose Park, says he’s ...

This Week in Pinball: A journalistic and photographic tour of Stern Pinball, last bastion of Chicago’s pinball legacy; RIP Steve Kordek, Chicago pinball legend; and more By Whet Moser ...

Pinball is having a renaissance, and that's good news for Stern Pinball in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. By: Ben Schamisso Posted 2:42 PM, Dec 08, 2023 and last updated 5:45 AM, Dec 09, 2023 ...