Magic 8 ball

While Magic 8-Ball did not exist in its current form until 1950, the functional component was invented by Albert C. Carter, who was inspired by a "spirit writing" device used by his mother, Mary, a Cincinnati clairvoyant. When store owner Max Levinson was approached by Carter about stocking the device, he called in his brother-in-law Abe Bookman, a graduate of Ohio Mechanics Institute. In 1944, Carter filed patent for his device, assigning it to Bookman, Levinson, and another partner in what came to be Alabe Crafts, Inc. (Albert & Abe) in 1946. Under the Alabe name, they marketed and sold the device as The Syco-Seer. Carter, who, according to Bookman, was an alcoholic, died sometime before the patent was granted in 1948. Bookman soon made improvements to the Syco-Seer and in 1948, it was encased in an iridescent crystal ball. Though unsuccessful, the revamped product caught the attention of Chicago's Brunswick Billiards. In 1950 they commissioned Alabe Crafts to make a version in the form of a

traditional black & white 8-ball.

 

 

The answers you can get are:

It is certain

It is decidedly so

Without a doubt

Yes – definitely

You may rely on it

As I see it, yes

Most likely

Outlook good

Signs point to yes

Yes

Reply hazy, try again

Ask again later

Better not tell you now

Cannot predict now

Concentrate and ask again

Don't count on it

My reply is no

My sources say no

Outlook not so good

Very doubtful

 

According to Wikipedia

Done