Roller Coaster History Essay

The Roller Coaster has a long varied history. It has origins in large ice slides found mostly in Russia around the 16th and 17th century. In the 1800s many appeared, primarily in America. The industry continued into the 1920s, which are known as the “golden age” for roller coasters. Production for roller coasters slowed down during the Great Depression, and by WW2 very few were being produced.The industry has made a comeback since, with a large production boom beginning in the 60s-80s. The varied nature of the roller coaster’s history has given it
The earliest example of roller coasters are the large ice slides found in Russia. These first appeared in the 1600s, throughout Russia but specifically around the area that would become St. Petersburg.
It ran in operation from around 1884 to 1929, and it was the creation of La Adna Marcus Thompson, the man known as the “Grandfather of Roller Coasters” and the “Father of Gravity”. While he held the title of first American roller coaster, he did not hold the title long.Many industry innovators such as Philip Hinkle and Charles Alcoke created new innovative coasters, such as the idea of a “lift hill”, or the initial hill at the beginning of the coaster used to build momentum. While other makers made rides based on the thrill, Thompson still believed the ride should be a scenic experience, with many of his several patents registered between 1884 and 1887 revolving around these “scenic railways”. He later collaborated with coaster maker James A. Griffiths, known for his elaborately designed coasters. They created a Scenic Railway in 1887, before parting ways and becoming fierce rivals for the scenic railway market. During this time, a new form of park came into popularity. The park was called a trolley park, and was a popular collaboration between coaster makers and trolley companies, designed so the parks would be on the route of trolley companies, so trolley companies would make extra money. These were prominent in the years leading up to the 1920s, or “the Golden Age
The park was based around an earlier used idea of basing the park around one large ride called the “Shoot-the-Chutes”, with other rides and attractions around the ride. After the success of the first Luna Park, Ingersoll opened another, slowly opening Luna Parks across the country. Another important figure of the roller coaster’s spread was John A. Miller. Miller produced hundreds of patents and worked with other pioneers such as La Marcus Thompson and Frederick Ingersoll. He designed several influential coasters, some of which are still in use today. Another innovation of the 20s was Playland, the first amusement park to feature a pre-planned design, as opposed to the improvised designs of the past. The first Playland was the Rye Playland, built in what was formerly Paradise Park, one of the worst area in Westchester county, NY. The designer Frank Darling innovated with some changes that are still in use today at many parks, such as separating the rides from the other sections of the park to minimize noise in those sections. This era of innovation continued until World War Two, when productions such as roller coasters stopped in an effort to save metal for the