THIS DAY IN HISTORY

[IceWizard]

First roller coaster in America opens






1884
June 16


On June 16, 1884, the first roller coaster in America opens at Coney Island, in Brooklyn, New York.
Known as a switchback railway, it was the brainchild of LaMarcus Thompson, traveled approximately
six miles per hour and cost a nickel to ride. The new entertainment was an instant success
and by the turn of the century there were hundreds of roller coasters around the country.

Coney Island, a name believed to have come from the Dutch Konijn Eilandt, or Rabbit Island, is a
tract of land along the Atlantic Ocean discovered by explorer Henry Hudson in 1609. The first hotel
opened at Coney Island in 1829 and by the post-Civil War years, the area was an established resort
with theaters, restaurants and a race track. Between 1897 and 1904, three amusement parks sprang
up at Coney Island–Dreamland, Luna Park and Steeplechase. By the 1920s, Coney Island was
reachable by subway and summer crowds of a million people a day flocked there for rides, games,
sideshows, the beach and the two-and-a-half-mile boardwalk, completed in 1923.

The hot dog is said to have been invented at Coney Island in 1867 by Charles Feltman. In 1916,
a nickel hot dog stand called Nathan’s was opened by a former Feltman employee and went on to
become a Coney Island institution and international franchise. Today, Nathan’s is famous not only
for its hot dogs but its hot dog-eating contest, held each Fourth of July in Coney Island.

Roller coasters and amusement parks experienced a decline during the Great Depression and
World War II, when Americans had less cash to spend on entertainment. Finally, in 1955, the
opening of Disneyland in Anaheim, California, signaled the advent of the modern theme park and
a rebirth of the roller coaster. Disneyland’s success sparked a wave of new parks and coasters.
By the 1970s, parks were competing to create the most thrilling rides.

By the mid-1960s, the major amusement parks at Coney Island had shut down and the area acquired
a seedy image. In recent decades it has been revitalized, however, and remains a popular tourist
attraction. It's still home to the Cyclone, a wooden coaster that made its debut in 1927. Capable of
speeds of 60 mph and with an 85-foot drop, the Cyclone is one of the country’s oldest coasters
in operation today.




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