The gumball machine is a vital piece of the nostalgic atmosphere in any arcade or chain pizza joint. The excitement of finding a quarter someone dropped on the ground, the joy of waiting to see which ...

From hero of Alexandria to tutti-frutti of New York: the years to 1918 -- Robots can sell anything; robots will sell everything, 1918-1931 -- Cigarettes blaze the way, 1932-1939 -- The war on slugs ...

One of the first vending machines most of us ever encountered involved a penny, a knob, and a colorful piece of gum. At one time, gumball machines could be found almost everywhere, from grocery stores ...