History of the roller coaster - wikipedia History of the roller coaster Coney Island Cyclone in Brooklyn, New York was built in 1927 and refurbished in 1975. Roller coaster amusement rides have origins back to ice slides constructed in 18th - century Russia. Early technology featured sleds or wheeled carts that were sent down hills of snow reinforced by wooden supports. The technology evolved in the 19th century to feature railroad track using wheeled cars that were securely locked to the track. Newer innovations emerged in the early 20th century with side friction and underfriction technologies to allow for greater speeds and sharper turns. By the mid-to - late 20th century, these elements intensified with the introduction of steel roller coaster designs and the ability for them to invert riders. Contents 1 History 1.1 Beginnings 1.2 Scenic railways 1.3 Growing popularity and innovations 1.4 The rise of steel 2 Timeline of notable roller coasters 2.1 1800 to 1899 2.2 1900 to 1969 2.3 1970 to 1979 2.4 1980 to 1989 2.5 1990 to 1999 2.6 2000 to 2009 2.7 2010 to 2014 3 See also 4 References 5 External links History Beginnings The world 's oldest roller coasters descended from the `` Russian Mountains, '' which were specially constructed hills of snow located in the gardens of palaces around the Russian capital, Saint Petersburg, in the 18th century. This attraction was called a Katalnaya Gorka or `` sliding mountain '' in Russian. The slides were built to a height of between 70 feet ( 21 m ) and 80 feet ( 24 m ), had a 50 degree drop, and were reinforced by wooden supports. Sometimes wheeled carts were used instead of sleds. These slides became popular with the Russian upper class, and with Catherine II of Russia herself, who had such mountains built in the gardens of the Oranienbaum Palace near St. Petersburg, with a pavilion next to it for drinking tea after the sliding. `` Russian mountains '' remains the term for roller coasters in many languages, such as Spanish ( la montaña rusa ), Italian ( montagne russe ), and French ( les montagnes russes ). Ironically, the Russian term for roller coaster, американские горки ( amerikanskie gorki ), translates literally as `` American mountains. '' The Promenades - Aeriennes in Paris ( 1817 ). Russian soldiers occupying Paris from 1815 through 1816, after the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, may have introduced the Russian amusement of sledding down steep hills. In July 1817, a French banker named Nicolas Beaujon opened the Parc Beaujon, an amusement park on the Champs Elysees. Its most famous feature was the Promenades Aériennes or `` Aerial Strolls. '' It featured wheeled cars securely locked to the track, guide rails to keep them on course, and higher speeds. The three - wheel carts were towed to the top of a tower, and then released to descend two curving tracks on either side. King Louis XVIII of France came to see the park, but it is not recorded if he tried the ride. Before long there were seven similar rides in Paris : Les Montagnes françaises ( The French Mountains ), le Delta, les Montagnes de Belleville ( The Mountains of Belleville ), les Montagnes américaines ( the American Mountains ), Les Montages lilliputiennes, ( The miniature mountains ), Les Montagnes susses ( The Swiss mountains ) and Les Montagnes égyptiennes ( The Egyptian mountains ). In the beginning, these attractions were primarily for the upper classes. In 1845 a new amusement park opened in Copenhagen, Tivoli, which was designed for the middle class. These new parks featured roller coasters as permanent attractions. The first permanent loop track was probably also built in Paris from an English design in 1846, with a single - person wheeled sled running through a 13 - foot ( 4 m ) diameter vertical loop. These early single loop designs were called Centrifugal Railways. In 1887, a French entrepreneur, Joseph Oller, the owner of the Moulin Rouge music halll, built Les Montagnes Russes à Belleville ( The Russian Mountains of Belleville ) a permanent roller coaster with a length of two hundred meters in the form of a double - eight, later enlarged to four figure - eight - shaped loops. Mount Pisgah with the Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway. Scenic Railways In the 1850s, 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. By 1872, the `` Gravity Road '' ( as it became known ) was selling rides to thrill seekers. Railway companies used similar tracks to provide amusement on days when ridership was low. Thompson 's Switchback Railway, 1884. 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. Passengers climbed to the top of a platform and rode a bench - like car down the 600 ft ( 180 m ) track up to the top of another tower where the vehicle was switched to a return track and the passengers took the return trip. 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 became the most popular attraction at Coney Island. Not to be outdone, in 1886 LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented his design for a roller coaster that included dark tunnels with painted scenery. `` Scenic Railways '' were soon found in amusement parks across the county, with Frederick Ingersoll 's construction company building many of them in the first two decades of the 20th century. See also : Roller Coaster ( Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach ) and Scenic Railway ( Dreamland ) Scenic Railway at Luna Park ( Melbourne, Australia ), the world 's oldest continually - operating roller coaster, built in 1912. Growing popularity and innovations Loop the Loop, an early looping roller coaster at Coney Island, 1906 As it grew in popularity, experimentation in coaster dynamics took off. In the 1880s the concept of a vertical loop was again explored by Lina Beecher, and in 1895 the concept came into fruition with the Flip Flap Railway, located at Sea Lion Park in Brooklyn, and shortly afterward with Loop the Loop at Olentangy Park near Columbus, Ohio as well as similar coasters in Atlantic City and Coney Island. 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 1919, the first underfriction roller coaster had been 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 severely damaged by fire on April 7, 2008, but was subsequently restored and reopened to the public in 2015. Scenic Railway at Melbourne 's Luna Park built in 1912, is the world 's oldest continually - operating roller coaster, and it also still features a system where the brakeman rides the car with wheels. One of only 13 remaining examples of John Miller 's work worldwide is the wooden roller coaster at Lagoon in Utah. The coaster opened in 1921 and is the 6th oldest coaster in the world. The Great Depression marked the end of the golden age of roller coasters, as amusement parks generally went into a decline that resulted in less demand for new coasters. This lasted until 1972, when The Racer opened at Kings Island amusement park located in what was then a part of Deerfield Township in Warren County, Ohio. Designed by John C. Allen, the instant success of The Racer helped to ignite a renaissance for roller coasters, reviving worldwide interest throughout the industry. The rise of steel Matterhorn Bobsleds, the world 's first tubular steel roller coaster. 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, which are generally formed using steel strips mounted on laminated wood, 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 along with hybrids of steel and wood. 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 Valencia, 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. 1885 First use of powered chainlift : Gravity Pleasure, Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York. 1900 to 1969 1902 Leap - The - Dips opens at Lakemont Park, Altoona, Pennsylvania. It is today the world 's oldest operating wooden coaster ( it was closed from 1985 until 1999 ). Cannon Coaster opens at Coney Island. The designer first attempts to `` leap - the - gap '' and create a coaster which has its cars jump over a gap in the track. Safety testing fails, and the idea is scrapped. 1907 First use of lapbar : Drop the Dip, Coney Island. 1912 Scenic Railway opens at Luna Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Today it is the world 's oldest continually - operating roller coaster. 1913 First coaster with a möbius - style track : Derby Racer, Euclid Beach Park, Cleveland, Ohio, United States. 1925 First coaster to reach 100 feet : Cyclone, Revere Beach, Revere, Massachusetts, United States. 1952 First junior steel coaster : Little Dipper, Memphis Kiddie Park, Brooklyn, Ohio, United States. It is the world 's oldest operating junior steel coaster. 1959 First tubular steel coaster : Matterhorn Bobsleds, Disneyland, Anaheim, California, United States. Today it is the world 's oldest operating tubular steel coaster. 1966 First coaster to feature an underwater tunnel : Mine Train, Six Flags Over Texas. 1970 to 1979 1972 First enclosed coaster : Fire In The Hole, Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri, United States. 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. Corkscrew at Cedar Point, the first roller coaster with three inversions. First coaster with three inversions : Corkscrew, Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio, United States. 1977 First shuttle coaster : Although six opened the same year, White Lightnin ', at Carowinds, is likely to have opened first, given the park 's southern location and longer operating season. 1978 First coaster with interlocking loops : Loch Ness Monster, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia, United States 1979 The Beast : opened as the tallest, fastest and longest wooden coaster. Today it 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 coaster manufactured by Vekoma : Python, Efteling, Kaatsheuvel, Netherlands. First modern suspended roller coaster : The Bat, Kings Island, Mason, Ohio, United States. 1982 First coaster with five inversions : Viper, Darien Lake, Darien, New York. Racer at Kings Island, the first roller coaster to operate vehicles in reverse. First coaster to operate vehicles in reverse : Racer, Kings Island. First coaster to run stand - up trains : Dangai, Thrill Valley, Gotemba, Shizuoka, Japan. First alpine coaster : Ice Mountain Bobsleds, Enchanted Forest, Turner, Oregon, United States. 1984 First Boomerang Coaster : `` Boomerang '', Bellewaerde Park, Belgium. ( It was the second to be built, but the first to open to the public. ) 1985 First coaster with heartline roll : Ultra Twister, Nagashima Spa Land, Mie Prefecture, Japan. First coaster with six inversions : Vortex, Kings Island. First coaster with seven inversions : Shockwave, Six Flags Great America, Gurnee, Illinois, United States. First complete - circuit coaster to exceed 200 feet ( 61 m ) in height : Magnum XL - 200, Cedar Point. 1990 to 1999 First coaster designed by Bolliger & Mabillard : Iron Wolf, Six Flags Great America, Gurnee, Illinois, United States. Dragon Khan at PortAventura, the first roller coaster with eight inversions First inverted coaster : Batman : The Ride, Six Flags Great America. First coaster with a cutback inversion : Drachen Fire, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. 1995 First coaster with eight inversions : Dragon Khan, PortAventura, Salou, Tarragona, Spain. First use of on - board audio : Space Mountain, Disneyland Park, Paris. First coasters to use a linear motor electromagnetic propulsion system : Flight of Fear, at both Kings Island and Kings Dominion. First coaster to reach 100 miles per hour ( 160 km / h ) : Tower of Terror II, Dreamworld, Australia. First coaster ( non-complete circuit ) over 400 feet ( 120 m ) tall : Superman : Escape From Krypton, Six Flags Magic Mountain, California. First flying coaster : Skytrak Total, Granada Studios, Manchester, United Kingdom. 1998 Oblivion at Alton Towers, the first Diving Machine roller coaster. First Dive 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 : Batman & Robin : The Chiller, 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 : Dragon Challenge, Islands of Adventure. 2000 to 2009 2000 Millennium Force at Cedar Point, the first roller coaster to exceed 300 feet ( 91 m ) in height and the first to use an elevator cable lift. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom Steel Force and Thunderhawk roller coasters, just outside Allentown, Pennsylvania. Steel Force opened in 1997 as the tallest and fastest roller coaster on the East Coast of the United States, with a first drop of 205 feet ( 62 m ) and a top speed of 75 miles per hour ( 121 km / h ). First complete - circuit coaster to exceed 300 feet ( 91 m ) in height : Millennium Force, Cedar Point. First coaster to use 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 over 200 feet ( 60.96 m ) tall : Son of Beast. First large - scale flying roller coaster, Stealth, California 's Great America First coaster with a 90 ° vertical drop : Dodonpa, Fuji - Q Highland, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan. First coaster to use pneumatic propulsion system : Hypersonic XLC, Kings Dominion. First coaster to feature both a lift hill and propulsion system : California Screamin ', Disney California Adventure Park, Anaheim, California, United States. 2002 First coaster to use 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 400 feet ( 120 m ) in height : Top Thrill Dragster, Cedar Point. First coaster with a more than 90 ° vertical drop ( 97 ° ) : Vild - Svinet, BonBon - Land, Zealand, Denmark. First coaster to utilize a vertical lift ( not considered an elevator lift ) : Vild - Svinet, BonBon - Land. First coaster with a `` fly - through '' station : Thunderhead, Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, United States. 2005 Kingda Ka opens as the tallest roller coaster in the world. 2006 Expedition Everest opened at Disney 's Animal Kingdom. It is listed in the 2011 Guinness Book of World Records as the most expensive roller coaster in the world ; a record which still holds. 2008 First coaster with a `` ferris wheel '' - style lift hill : Maximum RPM !, Freestyle Music Park, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States. 2009 First coaster with a 100 ° free - fall drop : Saw : The Ride, Thorpe Park, Surrey, United Kingdom 2010 to 2014 First coaster with a vertical freefall drop element : Th13teen, Alton Towers, Staffordshire, United Kingdom Formula Rossa opens as the fastest roller coaster in the world. 2011 First wing coaster : Raptor, Gardaland, Castelnuovo del Garda, Italy. First Family Boomerang coaster without any inversions : Ben 10 -- Ultimate Mission, Drayton Manor Theme Park, Tamworth, Staffordshire, England First coaster with a record - breaking 121 ° free - fall drop : Takabisha, Fuji - Q Highland, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan 2013 First wooden coaster with three inversions : Outlaw Run, Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri, United States. First coaster with 14 inversions : The Smiler, Alton Towers, Staffordshire, United Kingdom. First coaster with top hat attached onto the loop : Full Throttle, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, California, United States. 2014 First coaster with a tilting vehicle : Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida, United States See also Roller coaster elements List of roller coaster rankings Physics of roller coasters References Jump up ^ Coker, Robert ( 2002 ). Roller Coasters : A Thrill Seeker 's Guide to the Ultimate Scream Machines, Metrobooks, New York. ISBN 1586631721. pg 14 Jump up ^ Rambler New English - Russian Dictionary : `` American '' ^ Jump up to : Valérie RANSON - ENGUIALE, `` Promenades aériennes '', Histoire par l'image ( en ligne ), consulté le 28 Mai 2017. URL : http://www.histoire-image.org/etudes/promenades-aeriennes Jump up ^ Fierro, Alfred, Histoire et Dictionnaire de Paris, ( 1996 ). Robert Laffont, page 1051. Jump up ^ David Bennett ( 1998 ). Roller Coaster : Wooden and Steel Coasters, Twisters and Corkscrews. Edison, New Jersey : Chartwell Books. 9. ISBN 0 - 7865 - 0885 - X. Jump up ^ Roller Coaster History : Early Years In America. Retrieved 26 July 2007 Jump up ^ Sheedy, Chris ( January 7, 2007 ). `` Icons -- In the Beginning... Roller - Coaster ''. Sunday Life ( weekly supplemental magazine included in The Sun - Herald ). John Fairfax Publications Pty Ltd. p. 10. Jump up ^ Rutherford, Scott ( 2000 ) The American Roller Coaster, MBI Publishing Company, Wisconsin, ISBN 0760306893. ^ Jump up to : Steven J. Urbanowicz ( 2002 ). The Roller Coaster Lover 's Companion. Kensington, New York : Citadel Press. 4. ISBN 0 - 8065 - 2309 - 3. Jump up ^ `` Patent Images ''. patimg2.uspto.gov. Jump up ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7335519.stm Retrieved on 8th April 2008 Jump up ^ http://www.aceonline.org/CoasterAwards/details.aspx?id=46 ^ Jump up to : Kay, James ( 2007 ). `` The History of the Inversion ''. CoasterGlobe. Archived from the original on 2007 - 09 - 28. Retrieved 2007 - 08 - 23. Jump up ^ Cartmell, Robert ( 1987 ). The Incredible Scream Machine : A History of the Roller Coaster. Fairview Park, OH and Bowling Green, OH : Amusement Park Books, Inc. and Bowling Green State University Popular Press. ISBN 0879723416. Jump up ^ http://rcdb.com/926.htm Jump up ^ Kay, James. `` The History of the Pipeline Coaster ''. CoasterGlobe. Archived from the original on 2007 - 10 - 26. Retrieved 2008 - 02 - 07. Jump up ^ `` Rollercoaster Database : Steel Force ( Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom ) ''. Retrieved 2008 - 07 - 10. External links Roller Coaster History - History of the roller coaster Roller Coaster Patents - With links to the U.S. Patent office Roller Coaster Database - Information, statistics and photos for over 1900 roller coasters throughout the world Roller coasters Roller coasters by name Roller coasters by country Overview Elements History Manufacturers Physics Rankings Types Technology Brake run Inversion Vertical loop Launch track Rollback Lift hill On - ride camera Stadium seating Station Train Underfriction Wheel assembly Commons Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_the_roller_coaster&oldid=800455833 '' Categories : Roller coasters Amusement rides based on rail transport History of technology Talk Contents About Wikipedia Nederlands Edit links This page was last edited on 13 September 2017, at 17 : 19. 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Question: what's the oldest roller coaster in the united states
Answer: Little Dipper