|
15th/16th Centuries |
Russian ice slides, built in St Petersburg,
Russia. |
|
1784 |
First wheeled "coaster carts" used in
Russia to extend the riding season. |
|
1816 |
"Russian Mountain dry slides with wheeled
carts are erected in Paris. |
|
1848 |
Wooden Loop the Loop wheeled track ride introduced
in Paris, but was not successful. |
|
1873 |
Mauch Chuck gravity ride becomes America’s first
gravity ride. |
|
1884 |
La Marcus Adna Tompson builds the first true
"Roller coaster" – the switch back at Coney Island. |
|
1884 |
Charles Allcoke builds the first
continuous-circuit roller coaster at Coney Island. |
|
1885 |
Philip Hinkle builds a roller coaster where the
cars are mechanically pulled up the lift hill. |
|
1887 |
Tompsons introduces the first Scenic Railway at
Atlantic City. |
|
1887 |
First Figure-Eight roller coaster built at
Haverhill, Massachusetts. |
|
1891 |
Switchback Railway built at Blackpool, England. |
|
1891 |
Lina Beecher markets the vertical looping
Centrivical Cycle Railway. |
|
1895 |
Paul Boyton’s Sea Lion Park opens at Coney
Island. Considered to be the first enclosed amusement park with a gate
admission. |
|
1897 |
Steeplechase park opens at Coney Island. |
|
1901 |
First elliptical vertical-looping ride is built by
Edmund Prescott. |
| 1901 |
December
5: Walter Elias ("Walt Disney") is born at 1249 Tripp
Avenue, in Chicago, Illinois, to parents Elias and Flora Disney. Walter
is named after Reverend Walter Parr. |
|
1903 |
Luna Park opens at Coney Island. |
|
1907 |
Christian Feuchs designs the first high-speed
roller coaster, Drop the Dips, and introduces the lap bar to secure
riders in their seats. |
|
1922 |
John Miller patents the "uplift" and
"guide wheel" safety systems for coaster cars. |
|
1920’s |
The first "golden age" of the roller
coaster. |
|
1930’s |
The Great Depression in the US causes many parks
to close. |
|
1952 |
Cinerama film revives interest in roller coasters. |
|
1955 |
Disneyland opens in Anaheim, Los
Angeles, California July 17. |
|
1959 |
Karl Bacon builds the first steel track roller
coaster, Matterhorn Bobsleds, opens on June 14. (The
addition of the double bobsleds, snowmen, and ice caverns in 1978) |
| 1966 |
Walt
Disney Dies on December 15 at 65 years of age. Dies of acute circulatory
collapse caused be lung cancer. |
|
1970’s |
The second "golden age" of the roller
coaster |
| 1971 |
Disney
World's Magic Kingdom opens October 1 in Florida. |
|
1972 |
The Racer, a twin-track wooden roller coaster,
kick starts a great revival in classic wooden coaster construction. |
|
1975 |
Ron Toommer designs the first Corkscrew coaster. |
|
1977 |
Anton Schwarzkoph designs the first
"vertical-loop" steel coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain
called "Revolution". |
| 1977 |
Disneyland's
Space Mountain Opens. |
|
1978 |
National Amusement Park Historical Association (N.A.P.H.A.)
is founded. |
| 1979 |
Disneyland's
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is opened September 2. |
|
1979 |
The Beast, the longest wooden-track roller coaster
in the world is built at King Island. |
|
1981 |
Arrow design the first suspended roller coaster
for Kings Island. |
| 1982 |
EPCOT
centre at Florida opens October 1. |
|
1983 |
Disneyland Tokyo opens April 15. |
|
1984 |
Togo build the first "stand-up" coaster
at Kings Island. |
|
1986 |
Anton Schwarzkoph designs the multi-inversion
Thriller portable roller coaster. |
| 1988 |
MGM
Studios Florida opens May 1. |
|
1989 |
Arrow build the first hypercoaster, Magnum XL 200,
at Cedar Point. It has the highest lift hill and longest first drop n
the world. |
|
1992 |
Bolliger & Mabillard build the first
"inverted-swing" suspended roller coaster, Batman The Ride, at
Six Flags Great America. |
|
1992 |
The world’s longest roller coaster, Ultimate is
built at Lightwater Valley Theme Park, England. |
|
1992 |
Euro Disney, now called Disneyland
Paris, opens in France, April 12. |
|
1994 |
Desperado, built by arrow at Buffalo Bill’s
Resort Casino, becomes the worlds tallest roller coaster at 209 feet. It
is also the fastest conventional gravity ride at 80mph and has the
longest first drop or 225 feet- equal to Steel Phantom at Kennywood
Park. |
|
1995 |
Dragon Khan designed by Bolliger & Mabillard
at Port Aventura, Salou, Spain, has the most inversions – eight - for
a completes circuit roller coaster |
|
1996 |
Fujiyama, built by Togo at Fujikyp Highlands Park,
Japan, becomes the worlds tallest roller coaster at 259 feet above
ground and had the highest lift hill off 234 feet 7 inches. |
|
1997 |
"Superman: The Escape", designed by
Intamin AG, opens at Six Flags Magic Mountain, and is the first roller
coaster powered by a linear induction motor to launch the coaster 400
feet up a vertical track at a design speed off 100 mph. |
| 1998 |
Disney's
Animal Kingdom Opens April 22 . |
|
1998 |
Oblivion, Designed by Bolliger & Mabillard at
Alton Towers, England, is the first "vertical drop Roller
Coaster". |
| 2001 |
Disney's
Californian Adventure Opens . |
