1947: Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device

1947

PATENT FOR

CATHODE RAY TUBE

AMUSEMENT DEVICE

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Image 1: Patent designs for Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device

In 1947, Physicist Thomas T. Goldsmith and his coworker Estle Ray Mann filed for a patent for their Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device. The device utilized cathode ray tubes, the same technology used in old televisions, to simulate the firing of an artillery shell which the player could control the trajectory of using a dial. The Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device is widely considered to be the first electronic game with a video display,

Prior to this, computer devices were only found in labs or universities for research or military purposes. Though it was never made for the public because of how expensive it was, the creation of the Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device represents one of the first times that computer technology was applied to other areas besides technological research.

Image 2: Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device

Image 1 Details:

Date: 1947

Location: Dumont Laboratories, New Jersey

Physical Dimensions: [N/A]

Subject Keywords: video games, technology, research, machine

Publisher: Dumont Laboratories

Usage: research

Provider: Dumont Laboratories

Photographer: Bridget Borgobello

Original ID: U.S. Patent 2455992A

Credits: Thomas T Goldsmith, Estle Ray Mann

Citation:

Blitz, Matt. "The Unlikely Story of the First Video Game." Popular Mechanics.

Last modified March 28, 2016. Accessed April 19, 2023.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/gaming/a20129/

the-very-first-video-game/.

Image 2 Details: