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Nov 5, 1400
1st Known "Roller Coaster"
Despite its name, the first known "roller coster" is far from one. Instead of a thrilling high speed ride, riders would sit on an ice slide. Just like it's name tells us, these had wheels and slid on tracks of ice. This was only available in the winter. -
Period: Nov 5, 1400 to
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First Official Roller Coaster
Because of the popularity of the ice slides, Catherine the great demanded for it to be available in the summer, too. In 1784, the roller coaster was built in St. Petersburg in the Gardens of Oreinbaum in Katalnaya Gorka, an amusement center. -
The Napoleonic War
Because of the napoleonic was, the French were in Canada. While staying there, they grew to love the idea of a roller coaster. When they went back to France, they brought the idea back with them. Because of this, the first two roller coasters that operated on a continuous circuit were built in 1817. They only had one drop, and dropped at 30mph. These were also the first roller coasters to have wooden wheels connected to a medal track. -
The Mauch Chunk Switchback Railroad
When the French roller coaster craze started to die down, a mining company built a new roller coaster that had major improvements from the previouly invented one. This roller cosater was 1,269 feet high with a track distance of 18 miles, it took 1 hour and 20 minutes to complete the ride. -
The First Known Patent
In 1872, Baltimore native J.G. Taylor submitted what may have been the first patent for a roller coaster, although he named it somewhat modestly as an "Improvement in Inclined Railways." -
The Second Patent
In 1878, Brooklynite Richard Knudsen patented his design of a rollercoaster, which he called the "Inclined-Plane Railway.". Knudsen apparently never built this device. -
Thompson's Switchback Railroad
Built in 1890,the Thompson' Switchback Railroad was the early true "roller coaster". It was built of wood, on a wooden structure. The ride consisted of riders climbing up a flight of stairs to board the cart, which was then pushed out of the station, and went down a hill until it ran out of momentum at the other end. This type of roller coaster was built mainly for enjoying the view. -
Flip-Flap Railway
In 1898, the loop-the-loop design was attempted. This time it was named the Flip-Flap Railway. This ride used a circle loop, rather than the clothoid loops used today. But, the forces in the loop were so strong, it snapped riders necks. -
Popularity of the Roller Coaster
The popularity and development of roller coasters had an enourmous growth in the 1920s. It is estimated that at this time there were a little under 2000 roller coasters in the Unites States alone. But in 1929, the number of roller coasters in the U.S. dropped from a little under 2000, to 192 in in 1970. Thus ending the mass popularity of amusement parks and roller coasters. -
Disneyland Opens
In 1955, Disneyland theme park opened and redefined the idea of a theme park as a total sensory and fantasy experience, which ultimately led up to the popularity of theme parks coming back. -
Disneyland opens the Matterhorn Bobsleds
The Matterhorn Bobsleds opened in 1959 at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. It is modeled after the Matterhorn, a mountain in the Swiss Alps. It is the first tubular steel continuous track roller coaster. -
The Corkscrew
The popularity of roller coasters stayed dormant for 50 years, and became popular again once the tubular steel track and the corkscrew styled roller coaster was invented in 1968. The tubular steel track allowed 15 different types of aerial maneuvers. -
The Coaster Revival
In 1972, the appearance of the wooden Kings Island Racer in Cincinnati, Ohio helped restore the public’s lover for roller coasters.This resulted in a “coaster revival,” which included the release of the 1977 Universal Studios motion picture, “Rollercoaster.” In 1978, American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) was founded as a worldwide organization. -
Miller Under Friction Wheel
In 1919, John miller developed and pattened the " Miller Under Friction Wheel". It consisted of a wheel that ran under the track to keep the carts from flying off. This allowed the designers to use very steep drops, sharp horizontal and vertical curves and high speeds.
