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On This Day: Roller Coasters Thrilled The U.S. For the First Time
September 17, 2021 at 08:17 PM EDT
By WeatherBug's Chris Sayles
Whether young or old, one of the U.S.’s most enjoyed pastimes-- amusement parks-- was born on this day. The first ever roller coaster to thrill the U.S. came into existence.
On June 16, 1884, The Switchback Railway opened for peoples’ enjoyment at Coney Island in Brooklyn, N.Y. This gravity-pulled thrill ride was designed after the invention commonly used by coal miners in the 1800s. In fact, historians believe this contraption designed by LaMarcus Chunk Thompson was inspired by a coal mining train used in Pennsylvania in the 1820s that first carried paying riders.
If you can believe it, this simplistic but state-of-the-art ride cost five cents to be pushed at a whopping 6 mph from one tower to another. This distance between towers was equivalent to about half a loop around a high school or college track. Once the eager riders made it to the other side, the coaster would then return to where it began. This is how the ride got its name “The Switchback Railway.”
Over time, the coaster was replaced with a more modern type of coaster that travelled in a circuit instead of back-and-forth in a straight line. In 1885, the Switchback Railway would become the Serpentine Railway. However, the Switchback Railway was a staple that started a roller coaster revolution. Sadly, a combination of world events, including the Great Depression, World War I and World War II took a huge toll on amusement parks. As a result, Coney Island had to close for long stretches of time to weather the financial storms that hit the U.S.
It was not until the 1950s when Disneyland opened in California that the love of roller coasters reemerged. Once the success of Disneyland was witnessed, amusement parks such as Coney Island began to open across the country, starting a revolution in rollercoaster rides. Six Flags, Busch Gardens, Disney theme parks and more all spawned different renditions of roller coasters. Such coasters include the world’s tallest roller coaster “Kingda Ka” at Six Flags in New Jersey and the first floorless dive coaster named “Griffon” at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Va.
The Switchback Railway might have been simplistic in design, but it sparked a thrill that lasted longer than a lifetime.
Sources: History.com, Wikimedia Commons
Story Image: La Marcus Thompsons Switchback Railway (1884). (Wikimedia Commons)
On June 16, 1884, The Switchback Railway opened for peoples’ enjoyment at Coney Island in Brooklyn, N.Y. This gravity-pulled thrill ride was designed after the invention commonly used by coal miners in the 1800s. In fact, historians believe this contraption designed by LaMarcus Chunk Thompson was inspired by a coal mining train used in Pennsylvania in the 1820s that first carried paying riders.
If you can believe it, this simplistic but state-of-the-art ride cost five cents to be pushed at a whopping 6 mph from one tower to another. This distance between towers was equivalent to about half a loop around a high school or college track. Once the eager riders made it to the other side, the coaster would then return to where it began. This is how the ride got its name “The Switchback Railway.”
Over time, the coaster was replaced with a more modern type of coaster that travelled in a circuit instead of back-and-forth in a straight line. In 1885, the Switchback Railway would become the Serpentine Railway. However, the Switchback Railway was a staple that started a roller coaster revolution. Sadly, a combination of world events, including the Great Depression, World War I and World War II took a huge toll on amusement parks. As a result, Coney Island had to close for long stretches of time to weather the financial storms that hit the U.S.
It was not until the 1950s when Disneyland opened in California that the love of roller coasters reemerged. Once the success of Disneyland was witnessed, amusement parks such as Coney Island began to open across the country, starting a revolution in rollercoaster rides. Six Flags, Busch Gardens, Disney theme parks and more all spawned different renditions of roller coasters. Such coasters include the world’s tallest roller coaster “Kingda Ka” at Six Flags in New Jersey and the first floorless dive coaster named “Griffon” at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Va.
The Switchback Railway might have been simplistic in design, but it sparked a thrill that lasted longer than a lifetime.
Sources: History.com, Wikimedia Commons
Story Image: La Marcus Thompsons Switchback Railway (1884). (Wikimedia Commons)