A History of Rollercoasters and Amusement Parks
Amusement Parks have been around for literally hundreds of years, dating back to 1832 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Roller-coasters are a huge part of the Amusement Park Industry and is the main reason why millions flock to parks around the world. The Roller-coaster has come a long way since it's invention. Initially they were more like a Bobsled Track, as the track was made out of ice and the cars were sleds. The Spanish term for Roller-coaster is Montana Russa, which roughly translates to Russian Mountains, as the origins were carved into hills of Russia. Notable Roller-coasters are at parks such as Lakemont Park, Pleasure Beach Blackpool, and Coney Island. Up until 1959, all Roller-coasters have been wooden. That all changed with the Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland, in Anaheim, California. Steel was innovative, as it could be bent and allowed for sharper turns, steeper drops, and brake runs. A brake run is a portion where the train is slowed, but not to a complete stop. Brake Runs allowed for multiple trains to be on the course at once, unlike wooden coasters. Inversions were the craze of the 1970s. Inversions are any type of maneuver in which riders go upsidedown. The first Rollercoaster to privide this thrill was Corkscrew at Knott's Berry Farm, and the first successful vertical loop was on the American Revolution at Magic Mountain. I say successful because there were several attempts with wooden coasters, but they resulted in failure, due to safety concerns. The 1980s were all about height. Cedar Point gained national fame after the installation of Magnum-XL 200. 200 is important as Magnum was the World's first Hyper Coaster, having a first drop of over 200 feet. The 1990s introduced many styles, which are taken for granted in current time. New innovations include the World's first Successful Stand-Up Rollercoaster, the World's First Outside Looping Suspended Coaster, Launched Coasters, and Floorless Coasters. All of these models were created by Swiss Manufacturers, Bolliger and Mabillard. The 2000s brought just as exciting Roller-coasters, including Giga Coasters, Looping Wooden Coasters, Flying Coasters, 4D Coasters, and Strata Coasters. Finally the last 5 years have brought Hybrid Coasters, Winged Coasters, and Wooden Coasters with multiple inversions.