Rollercoasters!
Kevin M. Williams
The History of
Rollercoasters
1650 – Ice Slides in St. Petersburg, Russia
1884 – First Rollercoaster Constructed
Switchback Gravity Pleasure Railway
Coney Island, New York
1888 – First Attempt at Looping Coasters
1901 – First Looping Coaster Constructed
Loop-the-Loop was built in Toledo,
then moved to Coney Island
1927 – Cyclone opens at Coney Island
1959 – The Matterhorn opens at Disneyland
With the introduction of tubular steel track,
the Matterhorn revolutionizes the way
rollercoasters are designed.
The Modern Era of
Rollercoasters
Cedar Creek Mine Ride
Cedar Point – Sandusky, Ohio
Rollercoasters are categorized
according to track material.
A coaster may have a wood track with
steel supports, and vice versa!
Interlocking Loops
The Orient Express
Worlds of Fun – Kansas City, Missouri
Son of Beast
King’s Island
Cincinnati, Ohio
Hypercoasters!
Magnum XL-200
Cedar Point – Sandusky, Ohio
The Magnum XL-200, built in 1989, was the
first coaster to break the 200-ft barrier!
Batman: The Ride
Six Flags Great America – Chicago, Illinois
World’s First Inverted Coaster!
Raptor
Cedar Point – Sandusky, Ohio
Alpengeist
Busch Gardens – Williamsburg, Virginia
Gigacoasters!
Millennium Force
Cedar Point – Sandusky, Ohio
The Millennium Force, built in 1997, was the
first coaster to break the 300-ft barrier!
The Future of
Rollercoasters
Superman: The Ride
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Los Angeles, California
Superman: The Ride was the first coaster
to break the 400-ft and 100 mph barriers!
Hypersonic XLC
King’s Dominion – Richmond, Virginia
Top Thrill Dragster
Cedar Point – Sandusky, Ohio
Top Thrill Dragster is 410 feet tall and
reaches speeds of over 120 mph!
X-Flight
Six Flags World of Adventure – Cleveland, Ohio
X
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Los Angeles, California
The fourth
dimension uses a
third and fourth
track to control
seat positions,
allowing complete
360o rotations!
Questions?