The History of Roller Coasters

Podcast Transcript

For well over a century, people have enjoyed the thrill of visiting an amusement park and riding roller coasters.

The very first thing we can point to and call a proto-roller coaster had neither rollers nor did it coast. It was more of a slide.

Over time, Roller coasters have evolved into massive steel giants, testing the limits of physics and engineering to create thrilling, unique rides that thrill some and terrify others.

Learn more about the history and development of roller coasters on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

Before getting into the history of the roller coaster, let’s first define what a roller coaster is.

A roller coaster is an amusement park ride with an elevated railroad track that carries riders through turns, drops, and other thrilling elements. The trains are usually open, connected in a line, and pick up and drop off passengers at the same spot.

Roller coasters mainly rely on gravity. Most of their energy comes from being pulled up a hill, gaining potential energy that converts to kinetic energy during the drop and powers the rest of the ride.

Today, there are an estimated 6,000 roller coasters worldwide, mostly in amusement parks, but also in malls and zoos.

The earliest form of roller coasters can be traced back to Russia in the 17th century, where they were known as “Russian Mountains.”

These roller coasters looked very different from our modern steel giants. They were made from carefully constructed ice hills. These hills could reach up to 80 feet or 24 meters tall, had 50-degree drops, and were usually reinforced with wooden beams.

Entertainment pavilions in Russia were only located on land owned by the tsar. These buildings were massive rotundas that contained five hills. Over the winter, these hills were covered in ice, but over the summer they were still rideable, as participants used wheeled trolleys secured with steel grooves to keep the cart on track. Because of inertia, the cart could ride over all five hills without stopping.

In 1817, another early form of roller coaster was built in France. It is possible they got the idea from the Russians after Napoleon’s failed invasion of Russia.

Located at a historic attraction known as Les Montagnes Russes à Belleville, wheels were placed on carriages before being locked onto a track.

Shortly after, another early amusement park, Promenades Aériennes, opened. This park improved the carriages and track by making the locks more secure and adding a railing. This railing kept the carriage on the track and also allowed faster speeds.

The popularity of these early roller coasters in France declined in the mid-1800s. However, they regained popularity in the late 1800s with the reopening of the Montagnes Russes de Belleville, or the “Russian Mountains of Belleville.”

Originally, amusement parks were accessible only to the upper class. This changed in 1845, following the opening of Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Tivoli Gardens, built for middle-class patrons, featured roller coasters as its main attraction and was accessible to those outside the upper class.

The popularity of roller coasters in the United States can be traced back to Scenic Railways,

The idea to build an amusement park came from a Pennsylvania mining company. The company had built a gravity railroad, which basically meant the carts moved by gravity and could be stopped by a man brake, to deliver materials in and out of the mine.

Realizing they could make money when production was low, the company began offering rides to the public when there was little demand for the carts. This allowed the company make extra money from thrill-seekers.

One person who took note of this idea was LaMarcus Adna Thompson.

Thompson is considered to be the “Father of the American Roller Coaster” due to his development of the gravity switchback railway. His first roller coaster for the public was at Coney Island, in Brooklyn, New York.

Opening in 1884, the ride had passengers climb onto a platform before riding on a 600-foot track in a bench-like cart. This track met up on the top of another tower, where the tracks were switched so the rider could return to the platform, though the original design was later replaced with a completely oval circuit.

The following year, Phillip Hinkle introduced a new roller coaster. This was revolutionary in the coaster world, as it was the first to feature a complete circuit. The coaster came with a lift hill, a mechanical device that helps lift the coaster.

Thompson, fearful of being outdone, began to patent his roller coaster designs, while simultaneously making them more extravagant by adding painted scenery and tunnels. Thompson’s “Scenic Railways” soon appeared in amusement parks across the country.

Roller Coasters continued to grow in popularity, and with it came the development of new technologies to keep the passengers’ experience fresh and exciting.

A notable new ride experience was the vertical loop, taking passengers upside down, but these early looping coasters caused high g-forces and whiplash.

Because of these negative side effects, the looping coasters developed in the 1890s were dismantled shortly after their public debut. Looping rides were not attempted again until roughly half a century later.

Another technological development in the roller coaster sphere was the invention of under-friction wheels.

Early roller coasters had wheels on the sides of the cart. These side-friction wheels rolled along the inner edges of the track, which could be unsafe at high speed on an incline. Too much speed could cause the cart to go out of control and throw passengers out.

By moving the wheels under the cart, the train was effectively bolted to the track, reducing its likelihood of derailing.

Additionally, the development of under-friction wheels did more than improve safety; it increased roller coaster speeds.

Side-friction wheeled carts were limited in the amount of velocity they could pick up, whereas the increased security of the track allowed for the under-friction wheeled carts to avoid that risk.

More and more roller coasters were developed in the 1920s, creating what is known as the “golden age of roller coasters.” These rides were wooden and evolved throughout the period, getting larger drops and tighter turns.

The most notable roller coaster developed during the golden age was the Coney Island Cyclone.

Built in 1927, the Cyclone was considered the pinnacle of wooden roller coasters. The ride still exists today, with a massive 85-foot drop and speeds up to 60 miles per hour.

The Great Depression marked the end of the Golden Age of roller coasters.

Like almost every industry in the 1930s, the Amusement Park industry was hit hard by the depression. This, in turn, put an end to the rapid development of roller coasters for several decades.

That isn’t to say there was no development during the slump, but the number of new technologies created was limited compared to previous decades.

The most significant development during the slump took place in 1959.

A small company you may have heard of, called Disney, developed the ‘Matterhorn Bobsleds’ for its park outside of Los Angeles called Disneyland. This was the first ride to use a steel track instead of wooden rails.

This was monumental for the field because steel tracks are more versatile for construction. Wooden rails are made of…. wood. Wood can’t bend like steel, making it almost impossible to install ride elements like loops and corkscrews.

The development of steel tracks also enabled a smoother, quieter ride. This made the experience less terrifying for potential customers, attracting more people to the ride.

The slump in the roller coaster industry which began during the Great Depression, finally ended in the 1970s.

The industry’s recovery can be attributed to the opening of ‘The Racer’ at Kings Island Amusement Park in Ohio. This ride was popular because the train cars raced each other on two tracks. Interest in ‘The Racer’ ushered in a new roller coaster era, known as the Second Golden Age.

The Second Golden Age saw engineers further expand roller coaster capabilities, particularly through the use of steel construction. Drops were made steeper, turns were banked harder, and rides were made larger.

Elements like loops and corkscrews, which engineers had struggled to develop for decades, became possible. This was due to the new steel tracks and the development of special wheels that hugged the track, reducing the risk of the car falling off should it fail to make the loop.

The Second Golden Age of roller coasters is typically said to have ended in the 1990s following the development of “megacoasters.” This period ushered in the “Modern Era.”

The modern era has continued to see the growth and development of ride elements, with rides reaching unprecedented heights and speeds. Additionally, new launch systems, different seating options on the ride, and creations such as interlocking or multiple loops have been built to give riders new, thrilling experiences.

One of the most notable new developments is the hybrid coaster.

Hybrid roller coasters are rides built with both steel and wood: the track is steel, and the supports are wood.

Hybrid roller coasters have existed since 1927, but have really gained popularity in the 2010s following the conversion of the Texas Giant into the New Texas Giant in 2011 at Six Flags Over Texas.

Contrary to the fears of many, roller coasters are statistically safer than many other activities.

Of course, like in anything, there is a risk when riding coasters, and accidents do happen. However, the estimated risk of that occurring to you is roughly one in 15.5 million.

This is due to the many safety measures ride developers put in place.

One of the best examples of these safety measures is seat restraints such as lap bars, seat belts, vests, and over-the-shoulder restraints. These help protect the riders from flying out of the ride by keeping them secure.

Another notable technology used to protect riders is the block system. The block system on roller coasters is a safety feature that divides the track into separate segments, or “blocks,” each designed to hold only one train at a time.

Every block has its own mechanism for stopping a train—such as brake runs, lift hills, or even mid-course brake sections—and sensors monitor when a train enters or leaves it.

The principle is similar to railway signaling: a train cannot enter the next block until that block is confirmed to be clear. This allows multiple trains to run simultaneously without risking a collision, since the system can automatically stop a train at the end of its current block if the next one is still occupied.

I think its fitting to end with some of the records in the roller coaster world.

The oldest operating roller coaster in the world is controversial, as there is a distinction between the oldest standing roller coaster and the oldest operating one.

The oldest standing roller coaster is a wooden ride called Leap-the-Dips, which is located at Lakemont Park in Pennsylvania. The ride opened in 1902. Unfortunately for Leap-the-Dips, the ride closed in 2024 and has not reopened. This is mainly due to Lakemont Park not operating any rides during 2024 and 2025.

Because of this technicality, the oldest operating roller coaster is the Scenic Railway at Luna Park in Melbourne, Australia. The ride opened in 1912 and still uses side-friction wheels and a brakeman, an employee who operates the train’s brakes.

The tallest roller coaster in the world is currently Top Thrill 2, located at Cedar Point in Ohio. This ride regained the title of tallest roller coaster following the closure of Kinda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey.

Top Thrill 2 is 128 meters or 420 feet tall and reaches speeds of 120 miles per hour or 193 kilometers per hour in just four seconds.

Kinda Ka sat at 456 feet tall and reached speeds of 128 miles per hour.

The world’s fastest roller coaster is Formula Rossa, located at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi. The ride reaches speeds of 149 miles per hour or 240 kilometers per hour in just 4.9 seconds.

Both Top Thrill 2 and Formula Rossa’s titles of tallest and fastest, respectively, will be short-lived following the latest development in coaster production.

A new type of roller coaster classification, known as an “Exa” coaster, will be introduced shortly. This new ride will dethrone both, becoming the tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster in the world.

The new roller coaster, currently under construction at Six Flags Qiddiya in Saudi Arabia and set to break all existing records, is called Falcon’s Flight.

Falcon’s Flight will reach a height of 195 meters or 640 feet and reach speeds of 155 miles or 250 kilometers per hour.

The history of the roller coaster has had its ups and downs.

With the acceleration of new technologies and the pushing of engineering limits, the roller coaster industry has reached new heights and should continue coasting to a successful future.