Welcome to the thrilling history of roller coasters! We'll journey back in time to discover the humble beginnings of these adrenaline-pumping rides.

The earliest known precursor to roller coasters was the ice slide, popular in 16th and 17th century Russia. These slides were built as high as 70 feet and featured sleds made of wood or ice that riders would use to slide down the slope, often reaching speeds of 50 miles per hour.

In the 1750s, Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli built a sophisticated summer and winter roller coaster palace, Riding Mountain, for Russian Empress Catherine the Great in Tsarskoye Selo. It featured two coasters: one with a straight line and five 'hills' and another with a spiral trail. In summer, they used cars on wheels locked in tracks.

Catherine the Great built a summer version of the 'Russian mountain' slide, featuring sleds with wheels, at her estate in Oranienbaum, Russia near St. Petersburg in 1784.

As the 18th and 19th centuries unfolded, roller coasters began to take shape in Europe, with innovations that would pave the way for the modern thrill rides we know today.

In 1817, the first roller coaster with cars that locked onto a track was built in Paris, France. It featured two cars racing each other and was the first complete-circuit roller coaster.

The same year, the first scenic gravity railroad, Promenades Aériennes, was built in Paris. It was the first roller coaster to feature cars that locked onto a track.

In 1827, the first scenic gravity railroad in the United States was built in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. It was an inspiration for the first American roller coasters.

The first looping roller coaster (non-circuit) was built in Frascati Garden, Paris in 1846.

The United States embraced the roller coaster with open arms, leading to a surge in innovation and expansion in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The first use of a powered chainlift was introduced at Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York in 1885.

In 1895, the first roller coaster with a vertical loop was built at Sea Lion Park in Brooklyn. It was soon dismantled due to safety concerns.

The 1920s saw the golden age of roller coasters, with over 1,500 coasters in operation in the United States. Coasters were among the biggest attractions at amusement parks, and improvements in safety helped advance coaster design.

"Roller coasters were far more popular than imagined at the turn of the last century." - Roller Coaster Museum, 2024

One of the most famous roller coasters from this era is The Cyclone, built at Coney Island in 1927. It is still operational today and has been copied seven times worldwide.

The mid-20th century ushered in a new era of roller coaster innovation, with the introduction of steel coasters and the rise of theme parks.

The introduction of steel roller coaster designs in the mid-20th century allowed for greater speeds and sharper turns. The Matterhorn at Disneyland, built in 1959, was one of the first steel coasters.

The rise of theme parks like Disneyland and Six Flags led to a resurgence in roller coaster construction. The Screamin' Eagle at Six Flags Over Mid-America, built in 1975, was the highest wooden coaster in the world at the time.

Today, roller coasters continue to evolve with new technologies and designs, featuring complex layouts, high speeds, and advanced safety features.

From humble beginnings as ice slides in Russia to the sophisticated thrill rides of today, roller coasters have captivated audiences worldwide.