How old is the rollercoaster?
SHORT ANSWER Don’t expect ups, downs and loop-the-loops: the first ride was a one-direction affair
LONG ANSWER A sled speeding down a human-made iee-covered ramp may not sound as exhilarating as the rides of today, but the rollercoaster had to start somewhere; and that somewhere was 15th-century Russia. These ‘flying mountains’ were more than 20 metres high with 50-degree ramps, making for a brief yet speedy ride that became a popular way to get the adrenaline pumping for Russian elites, eventually Catherine the Great herself. By the late 18th century, sleds had been replaced with wheeled carriages, and when the idea spread to Paris in the form of ‘Russian Mountain’ rides from 1804 on, grooved tracks were introduced to lock the carriages on a set route. (It sounds more like the real thing now.)
The next big advance took place in the United States. Businessman, and devout Christian, LaMareus Thompson had grown discouraged that pleasure was being chiefly sought in bars and brothels, so wishing to offer a less morally dubious method of having a good time, he designed a new ride: his ‘switchback railway’, which opened at Coney Island, New York, in 1884. Thompson went on to collect dozens of patents related to rollercoasters, earning the nickname ‘father of the gravity ride’. Although: his first topped out at six miles per hour, while sledders on the Russian ice ramps reached 50mph. You tell us which is more exhilarating.
What did Michael Collins do during the Moon landing?
SHORT ANSWER Far