Roller coasters have been a
hit since the early 1800s in France.
The first roller coaster in America
opened in 1884 on Coney Island in Brooklyn.
Hold that thought.
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| First roller coaster - Coney Island |
LaMarcus Thompson built
that wooden wonder and called it the “Switchback
Railway.” Basically, the cars started at one end of a slightly elevated track,
rolled 600 feet to the other end, and then rolled back to the starting point.
The ticket price was a nickel. That baby traveled at 6 mph. Ladies, beware!
Nevertheless, it was a big
hit and by 1900 there were hundreds of bigger and faster coasters in operation
around the country.
Today, the highest roller
coaster in the U. S. is Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey.
It’s 456 feet high and top speed is 128 mph. Gee willikers.
Copyright © Richard Carl
Subber 2016 All rights reserved.
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