History of the roller coaster

The history of the roller coaster stretches back to ice slides constructed in 17th century Russia and spans all the way to the many and varied modern coasters of today. In between, numerous technological innovations have been introduced to make coasters bigger, faster, safer, and more exciting than the coasters that came before.

History

Forerunners of the roller coaster

The oldest roller coasters descended from the so-called "Russian Mountains," which were specially constructed hills of ice [Coker, Robert (2002). "Roller Coasters: A Thrill Seeker's Guide to the Ultimate Scream Machines", Metrobooks, New York. ISBN #1586631721. pg 14 ] located especially around Saint Petersburg, Russia. Built in the 17th century, the slides were built to a height of between convert|70|ft|m|0 and convert|80|ft|m|0, consisted of a 50 degree drop, and were reinforced by wooden supports. These slides became popular with the Russian upper class. Catherine II of Russia was such a fan of these attractions that she had a few of these slides built on her own property. "Russian mountains" remains the term for roller coasters in many languages, such as Spanish ("la montaña rusa"), Italian ("montagne russe"), French ("les montagnes russes") and Portuguese ("montanha-russa"). Ironically, the Russian term for roller coaster, американские горки (amerikanskie gorki), translates literally as "American mountains." [ [http://www.rambler.ru/dict/new-enru/00/12/99.shtml Rambler New English-Russian Dictionary: "American"] ] [ [http://www.rambler.ru/dict/new-enru/02/81/38.shtml Rambler New English-Russian Dictionary: "mountain"] ]

There is some dispute as to who was the first to put this operation on wheels. Some historians say the first real roller coaster was built under the orders of Catherine II in the Gardens of Oreinbaum in St. Petersburg in the year 1784. (The lawn where Catherine's roller coaster once stood, at the Sliding Hill Pavilion, now sits vacant.) [Erla Zwingle (Sep 1998). "Catherine the Great", in the National Geographic, Vol. 194, n. 3.] . Other historians believe that the first roller coaster was built by the French. The "Les Montagnes Russes à Belleville" ("The Russian Mountains of Belleville") constructed in Paris in 1812 and the "Promenades Aeriennes" both featured wheeled cars securely locked to the track, guide rails to keep them on course, and higher speeds.Urbanowicz, Steven J. (2002). "The Roller Coaster Lover's Companion;" Citadel Press, Kensington, New York. ISBN 0806523093.] The first loop track was probably also built in Paris from an English design in 1846, with a single-person wheeled sled running through a convert|13|ft|m|0|sing=on diameter vertical loop.

Developments in the United States

In 1827, a mining company in Summit Hill, Pennsylvania constructed the Mauch Chunk gravity railroad, a brakeman-controlled, 8.7 mile (14 km) downhill track used to deliver coal to Mauch Chunk (now known as Jim Thorpe), Pennsylvania. [ [http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/history/start/america.shtml Roller Coaster History: Early Years In America] . Retrieved 26 July 2007] By the 1850s, the "Gravity Road" (as it became known) was providing rides to thrill-seekers for 50 cents a ride. Railway companies used similar tracks to provide amusement on days when ridership was low.

Using this idea as a basis, LaMarcus Adna Thompson began work on a gravity Switchback Railway that opened at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York in 1884. [cite news |first=Chris |last=Sheedy |title= Icons — In the Beginning... Roller-Coaster|work= Sunday Life (weekly supplemental magazine included in The Sun-Herald)|publisher=John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd. |page=10 |date=January 7, 2007] . Passengers climbed to the top of a platform and rode a bench-like car down the convert|600|ft|m|abbr=on track up to the top of another tower where the vehicle was switched to a return track and the passengers took the return trip.Rutherford, Scott (2000) "The American Roller Coaster", MBI Publishing Company, Wisconsin, ISBN#0760306893.] This track design was soon replaced with an oval complete circuit. In 1885, Phillip Hinkle introduced the first complete-circuit coaster with a lift hill, the "Gravity Pleasure Road", which was soon the most popular attraction at Coney Island. Not to be outdone, in 1886 LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented his design of roller coaster that included dark tunnels with painted scenery. "Scenic Railways" were to be found in amusement parks across the county.

Growing popularity and innovations

As roller coasters grew in popularity, experimentation in coaster dynamics took off. In the 1880s the concept of a vertical loop was again explored, and in 1895 the concept came into fruition with "The Flip Flap", located at Sea Lion Park in Brooklyn, and shortly afterward with "Loop-the-Loop" at Olentangy Park near Columbus, Ohio. The rides were incredibly dangerous, and many passengers suffered whiplash. Both were soon dismantled, and looping coasters had to wait for over a half century before making a reappearance.

By 1912, the first underfriction roller coaster was developed by John Miller. Soon, roller coasters spread to amusement parks all around the world. Perhaps the best known historical roller coaster, "The Cyclone", was opened at Coney Island in 1927. Like "The Cyclone", all early roller coasters were made of wood. Many old wooden roller coasters are still operational, at parks such as Kennywood near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Pleasure Beach Blackpool, England. The oldest operating roller coaster is "Leap-The-Dips" at Lakemont Park in Pennsylvania, a side friction roller coaster built in 1902. The oldest wooden roller coaster in the United Kingdom is the "Scenic Railway" at Dreamland Amusement Park in Margate,Kent and features a system where the brakeman rides the car with wheels. It was serevely damaged by fire on the 7th April 2008. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7335519.stm Retrieved on 8th April 2008]

The Great Depression marked the end of the first golden age of roller coasters, and theme parks in general went into decline. This lasted until 1972, when "The Racer" was built at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio (near Cincinnati). Designed by John Allen, the instant success of "The Racer" began a second golden age, which has continued to this day.

teel roller coasters

In 1959, the Disneyland theme park introduced a new design breakthrough in roller coasters with the "Matterhorn Bobsleds". This was the first roller coaster to use a tubular steel track. Unlike conventional wooden rails, tubular steel can be bent in any direction, which allows designers to incorporate loops, corkscrews, and many other maneuvers into their designs. Most modern roller coasters are made of steel, although wooden roller coasters are still being built.

In 1975 the first modern-day roller coaster to perform an inverting element opened: "Corkscrew", located at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. In 1976 the vertical loop made a permanent comeback with the "Great American Revolution" at Magic Mountain in Santa Clarita, California.

New designs and technologies are pushing the limits of what can be experienced on the newest coasters. Flying coasters like Tatsu and electromagnetically-launched coasters like Maverick are examples of the latest generation of technologically advanced coasters.

Timeline of notable roller coasters

The roller coasters mentioned here are significant for their role in the amusement industry. They were notable for specific reasons, including:

* First coaster of a specific kind, style, manufacturing material or unique technology; ground-breaking
* First time a particular record-breaking threshold was crossed
* Historical significance

1800 to 1899

;1817:*First coaster featuring cars that locked onto track: "Les Montagnes Russes à Belleville" (Russian Mountains of Belleville), Paris, France.:*First coaster to feature two cars racing each other: "Les Montagnes Russes à Belleville".:*First complete-circuit coaster: "Promenades Aériennes" (The Aerial Walk), Paris.;1827:*First scenic gravity railroad (inspiration for first American coasters): "Mauch Chunk Switchback Gravity Railroad", Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, United States.;1846:*First looping coaster (non-circuit): "Centrifugal Railway", Frascati Garden, Paris.cite web |url=http://www.coasterglobe.com/features/history-inversion/index.cfm |title=The History of the Inversion |accessdate=2007-08-23 |author=Kay, James |date=2007 |work=CoasterGlobe ] ;1885:*First use of powered chainlift: "Gravity Pleasure", Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York.

1900 to 1969

;1907:*First use of lapbar: "Drop-The-Dips", Coney Island.;1913:*First coaster with a möbius-style track: [http://rcdb.com/id1910.htm "Derby Racer"] , Euclid Beach Park, Cleveland, Ohio, United States.;1947:*First coaster to be relocated: "Rocket", Playland Park, San Antonio, Texas, United States.;1959:*First tubular steel coaster: "Matterhorn Bobsleds", Disneyland, Anaheim, California, United States.:*First coaster to use individual brake zones allowing for multiple trains to run at the same time: "Matterhorn Bobsleds".;1964:*First coaster over 100 feet (30.48 m) tall: "Serpent of Fire", La Feria Chapultepec Mágico, Mexico City, Mexico.

1970 to 1979

;1972:*First enclosed coaster: "Fire In The Hole", Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri, United States.;1975:*First "modern" coaster with inversions (two): "Corkscrew", Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park, California.;1976:*First "modern" coaster with a vertical loop: "Revolution", Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, California.:*First coaster with three inversions: "Corkscrew", Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio, United States.;1977:*First shuttle coaster: "King Kobra", Kings Dominion, Doswell, Virginia, United States.;1979:*The Beast: opened and which broke many records and is still the longest wooden roller coaster in the world.

1980 to 1989

;1980:*First coaster with four inversions: "Carolina Cyclone", Carowinds, North Carolina and South Carolina, United States.;1981:*First suspended coaster: "The Bat", Kings Island, Cincinnati, Ohio.;1982:*First coaster with five inversions: "Viper", Darien Lake, Darien, New York.:*First coaster to operate vehicles in reverse: "Racer", Kings Island.:*First coaster to run stand-up trains: "Dangai", Thrill Valley, Gotemba, Shizuoka, Japan.;1985:*First coaster with heartline roll: "Ultra Twister", Nagashima Spa Land, Mie Prefecture, Japan. [cite web |url=http://www.coasterglobe.com/features/history-pipeline/index.cfm |title=The History of the Pipeline Coaster |accessdate=2008-02-07 |author=Kay, James |date= |work=CoasterGlobe ] ;1987:*First coaster with six inversions: "Vortex", Kings Island.;1988:*First coaster with seven inversions: "Shockwave", Six Flags Great America, Gurnee, Illinois, United States.;1989:*First complete-circuit coaster to exceed convert|200|ft|m in height: "Magnum XL-200", Cedar Point.

1990 to 1999

;1991:*First coaster to feature an underwater tunnel: "Anaconda", Kings Dominion.;1992:*First inverted coaster: "", Six Flags Great America.;1995:*First coaster with eight inversions: "Dragon Khan", PortAventura, Salou, Spain.:*First use of on-board audio: "Space Mountain", Disneyland Park, Paris.;1996:*First coasters to utilize a linear motor electromagnetic propulsion system: "Flight Of Fear", Kings Island and "Flight of Fear", Kings Dominion.;1997:*First coaster (non-complete circuit) over 400 feet (121.92 m) tall: "", Six Flags Magic Mountain.:*First flying coaster: [http://rcdb.com/id2380.htm "Skytrak"] , Granada Studios, Manchester, United Kingdom.;1998:*First "Diving Machine" coaster: "Oblivion", Alton Towers, Alton, Staffordshire, United Kingdom.:*First linear motor launched inverted coaster: "Volcano, The Blast Coaster", Kings Dominion.:*First linear motor launched dueling coaster: "", Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson Township, New Jersey, United States.;1999:*First floorless coaster: "Medusa", Six Flags Great Adventure.:*First tire-propelled launch system: "Incredible Hulk Coaster", Islands of Adventure, Orlando, Florida, United States.:*First inverted dueling coaster: "Dueling Dragons", Islands of Adventure.

2000 to Present

;2000:*First complete-circuit coaster to exceed convert|300|ft|m in height: "Millennium Force", Cedar Point.:*First coaster to utilize an elevator cable lift system: "Millennium Force".:*First modern wooden coaster with vertical loop: "Son of Beast", Kings Island. (Note: After an accident on July 9, 2006 the loop was removed.):*First wooden coaster more than 200 feet (60.96 m) tall: "Son of Beast".;2001:*First coaster with a 90° vertical drop: "Gravity Max", Discovery World, Taiwan.:*First coaster to utilize pneumatic propulsion system: "Hypersonic XLC", Kings Dominion.:*First coaster to feature both a lift hill and propulsion system: "California Screamin'", Disney's California Adventure Park, Anaheim.;2002:*First coaster to utilize a hydraulic propulsion system: "Xcelerator", Knott's Berry Farm.:*First coaster with ten inversions: "Colossus", Thorpe Park, Chertsey, Surrey, United Kingdom.:*First coaster with seats that rotate on a horizontal axis (4th Dimension roller coaster): "X²", Six Flags Magic Mountain.;2003:*First complete-circuit coaster to exceed convert|400|ft|m in height: "Top Thrill Dragster", Cedar Point.:*First coaster with a more than 90° vertical drop (97°): "Vild-Svinet", BonBon-Land, Zealand, Denmark.;2004:*First coaster with a "fly-through" station: "Thunderhead", Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, United States.:*First coaster with a vertical lift hill: "Typhoon", Bobbejaanland, Lichtaart, Belgium.

ee also

*Roller coaster elements
*List of roller coaster records

External links

* [http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/history/ Roller Coaster History] - History of the roller coaster
* [http://unofficial.capital.edu/admin-staff/dalthoff/almanac.txt The Roller Coaster Almanac] - See what happened across multiple years for a given date
* [http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/v/a/vac3/table.html Roller Coaster Patents] - With links to the U.S. Patent office
* [http://rcdb.com/ Roller Coaster Database] - Information, statistics and photos for over 1900 roller coasters throughout the world

References