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Roller coasters have been providing the fun and adventure thrill seekers desired since the 1900s. On National Roller Coaster Day, check out today’s top roller coasters around the world inside.
Roller coasters are most exciting for children. Amusement parks typically light up during the summer months, where adults and children, alike, stand in long lines to ride the next big coaster. The thrill of each ride is different. Some may warrant anticipation of a slow, rickety climb, high up in the sky before sending you through loop after loop and dashing you all the way down to the bottom again.
Historically, roller coasters have come a long way. With new technology and roller coaster inventions, roller coaster enthusiasts are given an experience and even a snap shot of their face at the peak of the ride.
The first roller coasters appear in Russia in the 1500s. Russian roller coasters are made of wood with icy ramps on which people slid down, often hurting themselves for the thrill of it.
In the 1700s, wheels on carts made all the difference. In Russia, the early roller coasters were such a hit that wheels are added to the carts so people could continue to ride during the summer as well as during the winter.
The golden age of roller coasters came in the 1900s. Innovations like the world’s first looping coaster came about right before the Great Depression. In the 1950s, roller coasters popularity waned after the harsh economic realities hit after the Great Depression and WWII.
In 1955, Walt Disney’s visionary Matterhorn roller coaster debuted four years after the Southern California park opened and became the game changer the roller coaster industry didn’t realize it needed. Now, there are countless impressive roller coasters around the world.
Check out the 20 of the best roller coasters around the world (in no particular order) below:
- Formula Rossa — Ferrari World, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Kingda Ka — Six Flags Great Adventure, New Jersey
- Jersey Devil Coaster — Six Flags Great Adventure, New Jersey
- Steel Dragon 2000 — Nagashima Resort, Japan
- Steel Vengeance — Cedar Point, Ohio
- T Express — Everland Resort, South Korea
- Pantheon — Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Virginia
- Goliath — Six Flags Great America, Illinois
- The Smiler — Alton Towers, United Kingdom
- Full Throttle — Six Flags Magic Mountain, California
- Takabisha — Fuji-Q Highland, Japan
- The Great Scenic Railway — Luna Park, Australia
- Fønix — Fårup Sommerland, Denmark
- Steel Curtain — Kennywood, Pennsylvania
- Yukon Striker — Canada’s Wonderland, Canada
- The Gravity Max — Lihpao Land Discovery World, Taiwan
- Time Traveler — Silver Dollar City, Missouri
- Tower of Terror — Gold Reef City, South Africa
- Do-Dodonpa — Fuji-Q Highland, Japan
- The Ride to Happines – Adinkerke, Belgium
