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Roller-coaster
A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are often found in amusement parks and theme parks around the world. LaMarcus Adna Thompson obtained one of the first known patents for a roller coaster design in 1885, related to the Switchback Railway that opened a year earlier at Coney Island. The track in a coaster design does not necessarily have to be a complete circuit, as shuttle roller coasters demonstrate. Most roller coasters have multiple cars in which passengers sit and are restrained. Two or more cars hooked together are called a train. Some roller coasters, notably Wild Mouse roller coasters, run with single cars. History The Russian mountain and the Aerial Promenades The oldest roller coasters are believed to have originated from the so-called " Russian Mountains", speci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend, Brooklyn, Gravesend to the north and includes the subsection of Sea Gate, Brooklyn, Sea Gate on its west. More broadly, Coney Island or sometimes for clarity the Coney Island peninsula consists of Coney Island proper, Brighton Beach, and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach. This was formerly the westernmost of the Outer Barrier islands on the southern shore of Long Island, but in the early 20th century it became a peninsula, connected to the rest of Long Island by Land reclamation, land fill. The origin of Coney Island's name is disputed, but the area was originally part of the colonial town of Gravesend. By the mid-19th century it had become a seaside resort, and by the late ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
LaMarcus Adna Thompson
LaMarcus Adna Thompson (March 8, 1848 – May 8, 1919) was an American inventor and businessman most famous for developing a variety of gravity rides and roller coasters. Early years Thompson was born in Jersey, Licking County, Ohio on March 8, 1848. His parents were Adna Thompson (father), and Nancy D Thompson (mother). He had a brother named Olvid. In his adolescence he became a skilled carpenter. In 1873 he began operating a grocery store in Elkhart, Indiana. There he began designing a device to manufacture seamless hosiery. He made a fortune in that business, but failing health forced him to quit it. Father of the gravity ride and the roller coaster Thompson is best known for his early work developing roller coasters and for inventing the scenic railway genre of rides. He is known as the "Father of the American Roller Coaster" and is often also called the "Father of the Gravity Ride". Over his lifetime, Thompson accumulated nearly thirty patents related to roller coaster ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Switchback Railway
The original Switchback Railway was the first roller coaster at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York City, and one of the earliest designed for amusement in the United States. The 1885 patent states the invention relates to the gravity double track switchback railway, which had predicated the inclined plane railway, patented in 1878 by Richard Knudsen. Coney Island's version was designed by LaMarcus Adna Thompson in 1881 and constructed in 1884.Urbanowicz, Steven J. (2002) ''The Roller Coaster Lover's Companion'', Citadel Press Kensington, New York. . pg 4. It appears Thompson based his design, at least in part, on the Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway which was a coal-mining train that had started carrying passengers as a thrill ride in 1827. For five cents, riders would climb a tower to board the large bench-like car and were pushed off to coast down the track to another tower.Rutherford, Scott (2000) ''The American Roller Coaster'', MBI Publishing Company, Wisconsin. . The car we ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roller Coaster Inversion
A roller coaster inversion is a roller coaster element in which the track turns riders upside-down and then returns them to an upright position. Early forms of inversions were circular in nature and date back to 1848 on the Centrifugal railway in Paris. These vertical loops produced massive g-force that was often dangerous to riders. As a result, the element eventually became non-existent with the last rides to feature the looping inversions being dismantled during the Great Depression. In 1975, designers from Arrow Development created the corkscrew, reviving interest in the inversion during the modern age of steel roller coasters. Elements have since evolved from simple corkscrews and vertical loops to more complex inversions such as Immelmann loops and cobra rolls. The Smiler at Alton Towers holds the world record for the number of inversions on a roller coaster with 14. History Prototypes (1848–1903) The first inversion in roller coaster history was part of the Cen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Russian Mountains
Russian Mountains were a predecessor to the roller coaster in which the term is adopted by several Romance languages in other parts of Europe. The earliest roller coasters were descended from Russian winter sled rides held on specially constructed hills of ice, sometimes up to tall.''Roller Coasters A Thrill Seeker's Guide to the Ultimate Scream Machines'' p. 13 (1st published edition). Known from the 17th century, the slides were built to a height of between , had a 50-degree initial slope, and were reinforced by wooden supports. In the 18th century they were especially popular in St. Petersburg and surroundings, from where their usage and popularity spread to the rest of Europe. Sometimes wheeled carts were used instead of tracks, like in the built in Catherine II's residence in Oranienbaum. By the late 18th century, their popularity was such that entrepreneurs elsewhere began copying the idea, using wheeled cars built on tracks. The first such wheeled ride was brought to Pari ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gravity Railroad
A gravity railroad (American English) or gravity railway (British English) is a railroad on a slope that allows cars carrying minerals or passengers to coast down the slope by the force of gravity alone. The speed of the cars is controlled by a braking mechanism on one or more cars on the train. The cars are then hauled back up the slope using animal power, a locomotive or a stationary engine and a cable, a chain or one or more wide, flat iron bands. A much later example in California used steam engines to pull gravity cars back to the summit of Mt. Tamalpais. The typical amusement park roller coaster is designed from gravity railroad technology based on the looping track incorporated into the second railroad of the United States, the Mauch Chunk & Summit Hill Railroad, which remained in operation for decades as a tourist ride after it was withdrawn from freight service hauling coal. Types of gravity railroad Some gravity railroads were designed to allow the weight of the d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joseph Oller
Josep Oller i Roca (1839–1922) was a Catalan entrepreneur who lived in Paris for most of his life. He co-founded the famous cabaret Moulin Rouge with Charles Zidler and was the inventor of the parimutuel betting. Biography Born in Terrassa, Josep Oller emigrated to France with his family as a child. Later, he moved back to Spain to study at the university in Bilbao. There, he became fond of cockfighting and started his career as a bookmaker. Once in Paris, in 1867, Josep Oller invented a new method of wagering, which he named Pari Mutuel (French for Parimutuel betting). He successfully introduced his pool method system at French race tracks. Nonetheless, in 1874, Josep Oller was sentenced to fifteen days in prison and fined for operating illegal gambling. Later, in 1891, the French authorities legalised his system and banned fixed-odds betting. Quickly, Oller's Pari Mutuel spread across most race tracks around the world, but the method was operationalised in engineered system ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moulin Rouge
Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Olympia. The original venue was destroyed by fire in 1915. Moulin Rouge is southwest of Montmartre, in the Paris district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th ''arrondissement'', it has a red windmill on its roof. The closest métro station is Blanche. Moulin Rouge is best known as the birthplace of the modern form of the can-can dance. Originally introduced as a seductive dance by the courtesans who operated from the site, the can-can dance revue evolved into a form of entertainment of its own and led to the introduction of cabarets across Europe. Today, the Moulin Rouge is a tourist attraction, offering predominantly musical dance entertainment for visitors from around the world. The club's decor still contains much of the roma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thompsons Switchback Railway 1884
Thompsons is a town in Fort Bend County, Texas, United States, within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The population was 246 at the 2010 census. Geography Thompsons is located south of the Brazos River in east-central Fort Bend County at (29.486494, –95.605803). Richmond, the county seat, is to the northwest. According to the United States Census Bureau, Thompsons has a total area of , of which is land and , or 40.71%, is water. Smithers Lake, an artificial impoundment, along with its associated W.A. Parish Power Plant occupies most of the western half of the town itself. The ETJ of Sugar Land borders the northern end of Thompsons' ETJ; that of Rosenberg is on the west; Missouri City's approaches from the east. Climate The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Thompsons has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on clim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway
The Mauch Chunk and Summit Railroad was a coal-hauling railroad in the mountains of Pennsylvania that operated between 1828 and 1932. It was the first operational railway, in the United States, of any substantial length to carry paying passengers. A private line which moved coal for the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company on gauge track, it was not a common carrier which linked with other railroads. The rail line was laid on top of the company's earlier -constant-descent-graded wagon road. The railroad operated for over a hundred years until the middle of the Great Depression. History The Mauch Chunk was the second permanent United States railroad and the first over five miles long. Early days: 1828-1845 Like its rival the B&O Railroad, the Mauch Chunk at first used animal power. Mules hauled the empty coal tubs to the summit and were sent down in the last batch of cars; the return trip required 4–5 hours. The road would send down groups of 6–8 coal cars under contro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Luna Park Melbourne Scenic Railway
Luna commonly refers to: * Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin * Luna (goddess), the ancient Roman personification of the Moon Luna may also refer to: Places Philippines * Luna, Apayao * Luna, Isabela * Luna, La Union * Luna, San Jose Romania * Luna, Negrești-Oaș town, Satu Mare County * Luna, Cluj * Luna de Jos, Dăbâca Commune, Cluj County * Luna de Sus, Florești, Cluj * Luna River United States * Luna, Arkansas * Luna, Missouri * Luna, Minnesota * Luna, New Mexico * Luna County, New Mexico * Luna Island, in Niagara Falls, New York * Luna Lake (Arizona), a natural body of water * Luna Pier, Michigan, a city Other places * Luna (Etruria), a city in ancient Etruria (now Italy) destroyed by the Arabs in 1016 * Luna, Aragon, Spain * Luna, Rajasthan, India * Luna forest, on the north bank of the Danube, according to Ptolemy * Luna Peak (other) * Roverè della Luna, a commune in Italy * Luna, former name of Louny, a town in the Czech Republic A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania
Jim Thorpe is a borough and the county seat of Carbon County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. It is historically known as the burial site of Native American sports legend Jim Thorpe. Jim Thorpe is located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania approximately northwest of Allentown, northwest of Philadelphia, and west of New York City. History Founding Jim Thorpe was founded in 1818 as Mauch Chunk (), a name derived from the term ''Mawsch Unk'' (Bear Place) in the language of the native Munsee-Lenape Delaware peoples: possibly a reference to Bear Mountain, an extension of Mauch Chunk Ridge that resembled a sleeping bear, or perhaps the original profile of the ridge, which has since been changed heavily by 220 years of mining. The company town was founded by Josiah White and his two partners, founders of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company (LC&N). The town would be the lower terminus of a gravity railroad, the Sum ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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