The oldest roller coasters were built in 18th century Russia. They were specially constructed hills of ice, built on the slopes of St. Petersburg mountains.
The Empress Catherine the Great had her architect, one Antonio Rinaldi, draw up plans for a sledding hill in 1784 in the gardens of her palace at Oranienbaum in St. Petersburg. The track held bobsleds in the winter and roller coaster style cars in the summer. She called the place Coasting Hill.
The idea for the coaster soon spread, with the French adopting the Russians' initial design. In July 1817, a French banker named Nicolas Beaujon opened the Parc Beaujon, an amusement park on Paris' Champs Elysees. Its most famous feature was the Promenades Aériennes or "Aerial Strolls," which featured wheeled cars securely locked to the track, guide rails to keep them on course, and higher speeds.
August 16 is celebrated by many people around the world as roller coaster Day. It is the anniversary of the day in 1898 when the first roller coaster with a vertical loop patent was granted to Edwin Prescott from Massachusetts.
Prescott’s “Loop the Loop” rollercoaster was installed at Coney Island Amusement Park in 1901. Capable of carrying only four riders, the “Loop-the-Loop” roller coaster, drew not only paying riders, but crowds of spectators willing to pay to watch the coaster in action,
A sister "Loop the Loop" roller coaster was installed at Young's Million Dollar Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey the same year.
Prescott patented a number of other inventions including a wagon-jack and a mop-wringer.
The first roller coaster with a vertical loop was a French invention called a “Centrifugal Railway” installed in Paris in 1848.
The Switchback Railroad was the first roller coaster designed as an amusement ride in America. The brainchild of Sunday school teacher and hosiery businessman LaMarcus Thompson, he created the first rollercoaster on Coney Island, New York to persuade his Americans away from sinful places like saloons and brothels. It opened on June 16, 1884.
Admission for the Switchback Railroad was 5 cents a ride. The riders would climb a 50 ft tower to board the large bench-like car and were pushed off to coast 600 ft (183 m) down the track to another tower traveling approximately six miles per hour. The passengers left the train and attendants pushed the cars over a switch to a higher level. They then returned to their seats and rode back to the original starting point. LaMarcus Thompson called it a "scenic railway."
The new entertainment was an instant success and LaMarcus Thompson grossed an average $600 per day. By the turn of the century there were hundreds of roller coasters around the country.
The Serpentine Railway, built in 1885 at Coney Island, was the first gravity roller coaster to tie the track end together and return passengers to their starting point without them needing to disembark while the car was placed on the return track. The train, with its passengers seated sideways on a wooden bench, ran atop an undulating wooden structure. The train was slow and took several minutes to complete its circuit.
The Flip Flap Railway was the name of a looping wooden roller coaster which operated for a number of years at Paul Boyton's Sea Lion Park on Coney Island, New York. The coaster, which opened in 1895, was notable for being the first looping roller coaster to operate in North America. It was also notable for producing such strong G-forces that many passengers passed out.
The Rollercoaster Revolution, the first steel coaster with a vertical loop, opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain, located north of Los Angeles, in 1976.
Space Mountain at Walt Disney World was the first roller coaster in history to be controlled by computer.
When Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Opened opened Magnum XL-200 in 1989, it was the first roller coaster to break the 200 ft height barrier, spawning what is considered to be the "coaster wars".
Theme parks in Japan banned screaming on roller coasters in 2020, because it spreads coronavirus, They advised riders: “Please scream inside your heart.”
The Beast is a wooden roller coaster located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. When it opened in the spring of 1979 in the Rivertown section of the park, it was the longest, tallest, and fastest wooden roller coaster in the world. It is still the longest wooden roller coaster, lasting more than four minutes and sprawling over 35 acres.
The Empress Catherine the Great had her architect, one Antonio Rinaldi, draw up plans for a sledding hill in 1784 in the gardens of her palace at Oranienbaum in St. Petersburg. The track held bobsleds in the winter and roller coaster style cars in the summer. She called the place Coasting Hill.
The idea for the coaster soon spread, with the French adopting the Russians' initial design. In July 1817, a French banker named Nicolas Beaujon opened the Parc Beaujon, an amusement park on Paris' Champs Elysees. Its most famous feature was the Promenades Aériennes or "Aerial Strolls," which featured wheeled cars securely locked to the track, guide rails to keep them on course, and higher speeds.
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| The Promenades-Aériennes in Paris (1817). |
August 16 is celebrated by many people around the world as roller coaster Day. It is the anniversary of the day in 1898 when the first roller coaster with a vertical loop patent was granted to Edwin Prescott from Massachusetts.
Prescott’s “Loop the Loop” rollercoaster was installed at Coney Island Amusement Park in 1901. Capable of carrying only four riders, the “Loop-the-Loop” roller coaster, drew not only paying riders, but crowds of spectators willing to pay to watch the coaster in action,
A sister "Loop the Loop" roller coaster was installed at Young's Million Dollar Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey the same year.
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| Looping the loop, Atlantic City, circa 1901 |
Prescott patented a number of other inventions including a wagon-jack and a mop-wringer.
FIRSTS
The first roller coaster with a vertical loop was a French invention called a “Centrifugal Railway” installed in Paris in 1848.
The Switchback Railroad was the first roller coaster designed as an amusement ride in America. The brainchild of Sunday school teacher and hosiery businessman LaMarcus Thompson, he created the first rollercoaster on Coney Island, New York to persuade his Americans away from sinful places like saloons and brothels. It opened on June 16, 1884.
 |
| Thompsons Switchback Railway 1884 |
Admission for the Switchback Railroad was 5 cents a ride. The riders would climb a 50 ft tower to board the large bench-like car and were pushed off to coast 600 ft (183 m) down the track to another tower traveling approximately six miles per hour. The passengers left the train and attendants pushed the cars over a switch to a higher level. They then returned to their seats and rode back to the original starting point. LaMarcus Thompson called it a "scenic railway."
The new entertainment was an instant success and LaMarcus Thompson grossed an average $600 per day. By the turn of the century there were hundreds of roller coasters around the country.
The Serpentine Railway, built in 1885 at Coney Island, was the first gravity roller coaster to tie the track end together and return passengers to their starting point without them needing to disembark while the car was placed on the return track. The train, with its passengers seated sideways on a wooden bench, ran atop an undulating wooden structure. The train was slow and took several minutes to complete its circuit.
The Flip Flap Railway was the name of a looping wooden roller coaster which operated for a number of years at Paul Boyton's Sea Lion Park on Coney Island, New York. The coaster, which opened in 1895, was notable for being the first looping roller coaster to operate in North America. It was also notable for producing such strong G-forces that many passengers passed out.
 |
| Flip Flap Railway at Coney Island Source: Encyclopædia Britannica |
The Rollercoaster Revolution, the first steel coaster with a vertical loop, opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain, located north of Los Angeles, in 1976.
Space Mountain at Walt Disney World was the first roller coaster in history to be controlled by computer.
When Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Opened opened Magnum XL-200 in 1989, it was the first roller coaster to break the 200 ft height barrier, spawning what is considered to be the "coaster wars".
Theme parks in Japan banned screaming on roller coasters in 2020, because it spreads coronavirus, They advised riders: “Please scream inside your heart.”
RECORDS
The Beast is a wooden roller coaster located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. When it opened in the spring of 1979 in the Rivertown section of the park, it was the longest, tallest, and fastest wooden roller coaster in the world. It is still the longest wooden roller coaster, lasting more than four minutes and sprawling over 35 acres.
The tallest roller coaster in the world is Kingda Ka, located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey It stands 456 feet (139 m) tall and reaches a top speed of 128 miles per hour (206 km/h). Kingda Ka opened on May 21, 2005 and has been the tallest roller coaster in the world ever since.
Kingda Ka is a launched roller coaster, which means that it is propelled to its top speed by a hydraulic launch system. The launch system accelerates the train from 0 to 128 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds. This makes Kingda Ka one of the fastest roller coasters in the world as well.
Banshee is a steel roller coaster located at Kings Island amusement park in Mason, Ohio. Designed and built by Bolliger & Mabillard it opened on April 18, 2014. The roller coaster features 4,124 feet (1,257 m) of track making it the longest inverted roller coaster.
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| A view of Banshee from the Eiffel Tower. By Jeremy Thompson |
The Formula Rossa rollercoaster in Abu Dhabi is the world's fastest with a top speed of 240 km/h (149 mph).
The Smiler rollercoaster at Alton Towers in England boasts a record number of 14 inversions.
FUN ROLLER COASTER FACTS
Roller coaster loops are inverted teardrop shapes because perfectly circular ones would subject riders to up to 6Gs, resulting in injury.
That "stomach in your mouth" feeling you get on roller coasters is caused by your organs moving around inside of you.
There are more roller coasters in China than any other country: 824 at the last count. USA comes second on 659.
Most of the world's biggest, longest, and tallest rollercoasters are built by a company from Liechtenstein, Intamin.
Sources Daily Express, Kids Fun
Sources Daily Express, Kids Fun
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