Roller Coaster Day

Roller Coaster Day is August 16th

Roller coasters, found at local fairs and amusement parks, are so commonplace these days that most of us have had plenty of experience with them. But can you imagine when they were first invented.

Terrifying and exciting all at once, roller coasters are a thrill unlike anything else, with the power to make us scream and laugh all at once as we’re whisked around their tracks. Roller coasters probably descended from an old thrill known as Russian Mountains. These were 17th-century attractions made of ice tracks. The first modern roller coaster was patented by LaMarcus Adna Thomas in 1885. It was built in Coney Island, New York. Many similar roller coasters followed. At the time, they were often called Scenic Railroads because their design was based largely on railroad technology. After the Great Depression, roller coasters, and amusement parks and general had a decline in popularity until about the 1970s, when they grew in popularity once again.

These days roller coaster builders are constantly pushing the boundaries for thrill seekers everywhere. Competing to create the tallest, longest, and fastest roller coaster tracks all the time. You can celebrate Roller Coaster Day by seeking more and more intense thrills of your own on and off the track.