Roller Coaster Trivia  Questions

What is a roller coaster?
A: A roller coaster is an amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks.

What did LaMarcus Adna Thompson obtain for roller coasters on January 20, 1885?
A: A patent.

The oldest roller coasters are believed to have originated from what?
A: The Russian Mountains, which were specially-constructed hills of ice.

Some historians say the first roller coaster was built under the orders of whom, in the year 1784?

A: Russia's Catherine the Great.

LaMarcus Adna Thompson began work on a gravity Switchback Railway that opened where in 1884?
A: At Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York.

In 1885, Phillip Hinkle introduced the first full-circuit coaster with a lift hill, the Gravity Pleasure Road, which was soon what?
A: The most popular attraction at Coney Island.

In 1886 Thompson patented his design of roller coaster that included what?
A: Dark tunnels with painted scenery.

By 1919, the first under friction roller coaster had been developed by whom?
A: John Miller.

Soon, roller coasters spread to where?
A: Amusement parks all around the world.

Where was the best known historical roller coaster, Cyclone, opened in 1927?
A: At Coney Island.

The Great Depression marked the end of the what?
A: The first golden age of roller coasters.

What happened to amusement parks in general?
A: They went into decline.

How long did this last?
A: It lasted until 1972.

What was built at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio (near Cincinnati) to change things?
A: The Racer.

Designed by John Allen, the instant success of the Racer began a what?
A: A second golden age, which has continued to this day.

In 1959, Disneyland introduced a design breakthrough with Matterhorn Bobsleds, the first roller coaster to use what?
A: A tubular steel track.

Tubular steel can be bent in any direction, allowing designers to do what?
A: Incorporate loops, corkscrews, and many other maneuvers into their designs.

Most modern roller coasters are made of steel, although wooden coasters are still being built along with what?
A: Hybrids of steel and wood.

What is the longest steel roller coaster in the world since its opening in 2000?
A: Steel Dragon 2000 at Nagashima Spaland in Mie, Japan,

How long is it?
A: It is 8,133 ft. long and has a maximum height of 311 ft 8 in.