Eeeeeeeeek

Kinga Ka at Six Flags in New Jersey

January 20, 1885: LaMarcus Adna Thompson patents his roller coaster structure. While he did not invent the ride, a distinction which belongs to John G. Taylor, he did have 13 patents on the coasters. Switchback Railway at Coney Island was designed by Thompson and was the first roller coaster built in the US.  He also went on to create Orient Scenic Railway, which was not a thrill ride [maximum speed 6 mph] but rather a ride through beautifully themed spaces. These structures are the premise around which today’s theme parks are based.

The earliest coasters were based on Russian sled rides which were built on constructed hills of ice around St. Petersburg. In the late 1700s entrepreneurs were moving the idea away from the ice and onto tracks using cars with wheels. The first gravity track was built in Paris in 1812. The first loop track was built in 1846, yet these early coasters did not travel in a complete circuit.

Today there is an almost yearly race for biggest, highest, fastest, longest roller coaster. The current holder of the title of longest and fastest belongs to Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. The ride is 456 feet tall with a drop of 418 feet with a 90 degree ascent and descent. The second hill of 129 feet is designed to provide free-floating airtime. The maximum speed achieved is 128 mph during the 3.118 feet ride. The second highest coaster in the world is at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Top Thrill Dragster is 420 feet high. The third highest is the Steel Dragon located in Nagashima Spa Land in Japan. It is 318 feet high and the longest ride at 8,133 feet. The top ten highest have six in the US, three in Japan, and #9, the Silver Star, is located in Germany.

Safety has always been an issue. The whole point of the ride is speed and daring. While they are built to seem risky, there are many regulations regarding safety measures. Even so, there are thousands of people treated at emergency rooms yearly for injuries on coasters and there are even some fatalities.

“There’s no thrill in easy sailing when the skies are clear and blue,
There’s no joy in merely doing things which any one can do.
But there is some satisfaction that is mighty sweet to take,
When you reach a destination that you never thought you’d make.” – unknown

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” – T.S. Elliot

“Who bravely dares must sometimes risk a fall.” – Tom Bradley

“We all know that roller coasters and other amusement park rides are fun, fast and thrilling, … They are supposed to create the illusion of danger, without putting people at risk.” – Ann Brown

Also on this day, in 1968 the college basketball Game of the Century was played.

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