The Thrilling Tale of the First Roller Coaster

Hi friends! Welcome to *It Really Happened!* I’m your host, Bill Whitaker. Today’s true adventure is… *The Race to Build the First Roller Coaster!* Get ready—because this one is full of twists, turns, and a BIG surprise!

Okay, picture this: the year is 1884. There are no roller coasters. No theme parks. No crazy fast rides that make you scream your head off. So… where do people go for fun? Well, some folks liked picnics. Others went to the theater. But thrilling rides? Those didn’t really exist.

Until one man had an idea. His name was LaMarcus Thompson, and he loved inventing things. LaMarcus grew up in Ohio, and as a kid, he tinkered with all kinds of gadgets and machines. But what he really wanted to build was something no one had ever seen before. Something people would pay money to ride—not because they *needed* to, but because it was just so much FUN.

But what could that be? Well, here’s a little clue… LaMarcus had heard about this wild contraption in Pennsylvania, called the Mauch Chunk Gravity Railroad. It wasn’t built for fun—it was actually a track that carried coal down a mountain. It had no engine; it just relied on gravity to zoom the carts downhill. Crazy, right?

But here’s the thing. When they weren’t hauling coal, locals figured out something interesting… Riding those carts down the steep hill was FUN. Like, scream-at-the-top-of-your-lungs fun. People started paying to take a ride, just for the thrill of it. And when LaMarcus heard about this? He thought, “Wait a second… What if I could turn THAT into a ride just for fun? What if I could create something safer, smoother, and more exciting?!”

LaMarcus had a plan. He wanted to build a ride that could thrill people and make them feel like they were flying. He sketched out designs for a ride called the Switchback Railway. It would use gravity, hills, and tracks—just like the coal railway—but this one would be at an amusement park. No coal. No work. Just FUN.

But here’s where things get interesting… LaMarcus wasn’t the only one with this idea. At the VERY SAME TIME, another inventor named Phillip Hinkle was working on a similar ride! And guess what?! Phillip wanted his to be the first roller coaster, too. Suddenly, it was a race to see who could open their ride first. Who would win?!

Did you know roller coasters weren’t originally about fun? Some of the first ones were actually ice slides! Yep, people in Russia built giant wooden structures, poured water over them, and let it freeze. Then they’d slide down on sleds. Sounds cold, huh?

Back to the race. LaMarcus worked as fast as he could. He found the perfect spot—Coney Island in New York. Back then, Coney Island was already a popular place for families, with beaches, carousels, and snacks. If his ride opened there, it would get huge crowds.

Piece by piece, the track was built. It was made of wood and was 600 feet long. It didn’t do loop-de-loops or go super fast like today’s roller coasters. But for its time? It was WILD. Riders would climb into a little cart, get pulled up a big hill, and then zoom down a steep slope to the bottom. But here’s the twist… Instead of going in a full circle, the cart stopped at the end. Then workers actually turned it around so it could go back the other way! Pretty funny compared to today’s roller coasters, right?

Meanwhile, Phillip Hinkle was building a ride, too, and his wasn’t too far behind. His version had a better braking system and didn’t need to stop and turn around. But guess what… LaMarcus beat him to the punch! On June 16th, 1884, the Switchback Railway officially opened at Coney Island. And when people saw it? Oh boy—they couldn’t WAIT to ride.

Imagine it: You’re a kid in 1884. You’ve never even heard of a roller coaster before. Then boom—there it is, in all its wooden glory. You climb in, your heart is racing, and suddenly you’re flying down the hill. Wind in your face, people screaming, your stomach doing flips. For just five cents, you’d get the ride of your life. FIVE CENTS! Can you believe that?!

Guess how much money LaMarcus made in his very first season? Six hundred dollars. That doesn’t sound like a lot now, but in 1884? That was BIG money. His ride was a total hit, and soon, roller coasters started popping up all over America. They got faster, taller, and even loopier. All thanks to LaMarcus—and let’s not forget Phillip Hinkle, too.

Here’s a fun fact: The fastest roller coaster in the world today is in Abu Dhabi. It goes 149 miles per hour. That means it’s faster than a cheetah AND some race cars! Whoa… Can you imagine that?

And that… really happened! Pretty amazing to think that a coal cart on a mountain led to the roller coasters we love today, right? Thanks for listening! Tell a friend something surprising that happened to YOU. See you next time on *It Really Happened!*