During their existence, theme parks, and roller coasters in particular, have spread to every
corner of the globe.
It’s extremely likely that you’ve been on a roller coaster, at least once in your
lifetime; but did you ever question the origin of these thrilling rides?
Many consider the birth of the modern day roller coaster to have occurred close to 60
years ago, with the revolutionary breakthrough of tubular steel technology.
However, the entire history of these vast attractions date back even further in time.
In this video, we’ll explore the history of roller coasters, from their humble origin,
to the huge adrenaline machines they’ve become today.
The initial concept of roller coasters can be traced back to 17th Century Russia.
Dubbed “Russian Mountains”, these primitive rides featured large wooden slopes, which
stretched close to hundreds of metres.
In winter months, the slopes would be packed with snow, and sprayed with water, creating
a slippery surface.
Riders, with conventional sleds, would climb to the top of the slope and then slide down.
In the warmer seasons, wheeled carts were used to go down the ramps, creating the same
effect.
Often two ramps were built in opposite directions, creating a half-pipe like structure.
The concept of large slides quickly made its way across Europe, to France,
during the Napoleonic Wars.
French Soldiers enjoyed the concept of the russian mountains, and took the idea home.
The french quickly began creating their own primitive roller coasters,
named Les Montagnes Russes.
Eventually, in 1817, the country went on to produce the world’s first full circuit roller
coaster, in which the start and end points of the track were joined.
On top of this, Les Montagnes Russes became the first slides to use individual tracks
to secure sleds in lanes, effectively becoming the first roller coaster in the form we know
them today.
On the other side of the Atlantic, North America were also developing their own basic forms
of roller coasters.
In the 1800s, the Mauch Chunk Gravity Railway of Pennsylvania began taking riders on a 30
minute journey down the side of a mountain.
Previously used to transport coal, the railway stretched for 9 miles, and featured several
steep drops.
Businessmen were quick to take the idea of riding carts down slopes and commercialised
it.
In 1884, LaMarcus A. Thompson constructed the iconic Switchback Railway, at Coney Island,
in New York.
Despite being only 15m (50ft) tall, the Switchback Railway was hugely popular and ushered in
a new era for roller coasters in the United States.
Slight modifications were made to the original design by other businessmen, including the
introduction of a full circuit variant, and a cable to lift trains to the highest point
of the ride.
As development in the industry occured, Thompson created his own company, and began selling
his roller coasters throughout North America and Europe.
Over time, the name of the rides evolved, eventually becoming known as Scenic Railways.
Several of these rides can still be found in operation today, including the Scenic Railway
at Dreamland, in the United Kingdom.
As the Switchback Railway made its way around the States, entrepreneurs began creating new
ways to attract and thrill riders.
Lina Beecher opened the Flip Flap Railway, a roller coaster with an 8m (25ft) tall vertical
loop, in 1895.
The Flip Flap Railway became the world’s first inverting roller coaster, allowing riders
to go upside down through a tight circular loop.
However, the design ride was flawed.
The circular nature of the loop caused riders to be subject to intense g-forces, resulting
in many blacking out during the ride.
It was this design flaw that ultimately delayed the widespread use of inversions on roller
coaster for many decades to come.
Following the success of the Switchback Railway, interest in roller coasters across the United
States soared.
Designers began experimenting with a figure eight layout, as seen on Leap the Dips; but
this was only the beginning.
The creators of the time set about designing the tallest and fastest roller coasters ever
seen.
Rides such as the Coney Island’s Cyclone, the Big Dipper at Blackpool Pleasure Beach,
and Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s Giant Dipper, all opened during this time period.
In total, over 2000 new roller coasters were constructed throughout the era, only a few
of which remain operating to this day.
The widespread mass production of roller coasters drove innovation in ride design.
In 1919, John Miller patented the concept of upstop wheels, which vertically secure
the train to the track.
This breakthrough allowed designers to produce more aggressive roller coasters; ones in which
guests could be given the sensation of weightlessness.
Unfortunately, this period of extreme roller coaster popularity, did not last.
During the middle of the 20th century, interest in roller coasters, and theme parks in general,
began to decline.
Events such as the Great Depression, and World War 2, led to many theme parks closing throughout
North America, due to a lack of resources and diminishing visitor numbers.
Despite the lack of interest, some notable roller coasters were built around this time,
including Hersheypark's Comet, and even the world's first tubular steel roller coaster,
Matterhorn Bobsled at the original Disneyland.
Interestingly, it was in fact the opening of Disneyland in Anaheim, that brought theme
parks back into the eyes of the general public.
With the breakthrough of steel tubular track, which saw trains secured to tubular rails,
rather than flat rails; a huge number of other steel roller coasters began being constructed
not only in the USA, but also worldwide.
The new interest in roller coasters also caused theme parks to begin creating recording breaking
rides, to re-attract members of the public.
The Racer, at Kings Island, became one of the first to gain mass attention for being
the tallest and fastest coaster in the world, in 1972.
It was only a few years later when Arrow Dynamics, a roller coaster manufacturer of the time,
unveiled the Corkscrew at Knott’s Berry Farm, the first modern day roller coaster
to feature inversions.The following year, Schwarzkopf, another manufacturer of the era,
produced Revolution, at Six Flags Magic Mountain, the first modern day roller coaster to feature
a vertical loop.
Unlike the vertical loops of the past, Revolution features an elliptical loop, heavily reducing
the amount of force experienced by the riders.
Since the inception of modern day looping roller coasters, the entire industry has undergone
massive expansion.
A record number of new designs and concepts have been constructed over the past few decades,
and this shows no sign of stopping.
Models such as the inverted and wing coaster have changed the way we experience the rides,
while 4D and spinning roller coasters provide guests with unique ride every time.
If you’d like the learn more about the history of modern day roller coasters, let me know
in the comments down below.
Nevertheless, thank you for watching, and I’ll see you all next time.
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