1873- The Mauch Chunk Railway is first used for pleasure purposes.
1884- La Marcus Thompson builds America's first modern roller coaster at Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY, the Switchback Railway.
1884- Charles Alkoke's Serpentine Railway becomes the first continuous circuit roller coaster. The first out-and-back design.
1884- Phillip Hinkle invents the lift hill (chain lift).
1887- Thompson builds the first Scenic Railway in Atlantic City, NJ.
1888- The concept of defying gravity in the form of a vertical loop is experimented by Lina Beecher in Toledo, OH.
1895- Beecher introduces his looping coaster, the Flip-Flap at Sea Lion Park in Brooklyn, NY. It snapped riders necks.
1901- E.A. Green and Edward Prescott redevelop the loop in Atlantic City with the Loop-the-Loop coaster.
1903- Flip-Flap dismantled. Sea Lion Park closes.
1909- John Miller introduces America to the Racing coaster.
1911- Miller began work at the Philadelphia Toboggan Company (PTC).
1919- Harry Traver begins the Traver Engineering Company.
1920- Golden Age of Roller Coasters begins. Over 1,500 roller coasters running.
1920- Miller teams up with Harry Baker and forms Miller & Baker, Inc.
1921- The Jack Rabbit by Miller is constructed at Kennywood Park near Pittsburgh, PA.
1923- Herbert Schmeck of PTC builds the Thunderhawk at Dorney Park in Allentown, PA.
1924- Miller builds Kennywood's Pippin.
1924- Designer Arthur Looff designs Santa Cruz, CA's Giant Dipper.
1924- Fredrick Church designs the legendary Bobs coaster at Riverview Park in Chicago, IL.
1926- Traver's first Cyclone coaster debuts at the Susquicentennial Exposition in Philadelphia, PA.
1927- Marquis year. The Coney Island Cyclone is constructed by Baker and Vernon Keenan.
1927- The Traver trio of the Crystal Beach (near Niagra Falls, ONT) and Palisades Park (NJ) Cyclones and the Revere Beach (MASS) Lightning are constructed.
1929- Miller and Norman Bartlett designs the first Flying Turns at Lakeside Park, Dayton, OH.
1930- The most famous Flying Turns built at Euclid Beach, Cleveland, OH.
1932- Fire at Riverview Park.
1937- Edward Vettel builds the Conneaut Lake Park Blue Streak in Conneaut Lake Park, PA.
1938- First and only death on the Crystal Beach Cyclone.
1941- John Miller dies.
1946- Crystal Beach Cyclone razed.
1947- E. Vettel removes the tunnel in the Kennywood Jack Rabbit. Also replaces the original trains.
1947- Arrow Dynamics' first amusement park ride assignment... a San Jose Park carousel.
1948- Schmeck uses the old wood and steel of the Crystal Beach Cyclone to build the Comet.
1954- A fire forces Coney Island's (Brooklyn, NY) Luna Park to close.
1954- John Allen becomes president of PTC.
1955- Disneyland opens in Anaheim, CA, an idea by the filmmaker himself, Walt Disney.
1956- Allen builds his first coaster, the Sea Dragon at Wyandot Lake near Columbus, OH.
1959- Arrow Dynamics designs the first tubular steel track coaster for Disneyland, the Matterhorn.
1960- Arrow Dynamics debuts the first runaway mine train, the Runaway Mine Train at Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington. The coaster used tubular steel track, like that of the Matterhorn.
1967- Riverview Park closes its gates forever. Seven coasters destroyed including The Bobs.
1968- Andrew Vettel uses first and last hills of Kennywood's Pippin in colaboration with his Thunderbolt.
1968- Arrow Dynamics begins toying with the corkscrew idea.
1969- Euclid Beach Park closes its gates forever. Flying Turns, Thriller, Racing Coaster and Aero-Dips destroyed.
1970- Failure to transport many Euclid Beach rides to proposed Shady Lake Park in nearby Streetsboro, OH.
1970- Flood destroys Coney Island in Cincinnati, OH.
1972- Second Golden Age officially begins with the construction of Allen's Racer at Kings Island, Cincinnati, OH.
1975- The first upside-down element debuts in a coaster since the early 1900's. This time, successful. The Corkscrew by Arrow Dynamics at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA.
1975- Intamin AG of Switzerland, along with Schwarzkopf designed the first successful vertical loop since the early 1900's. The Revolution at Six Flags Magic Mountain (CA) featured 2 loops.
1976- Intamin AG introduces the shuttle loop.
1976- Allen builds the Screamin' Eagle at Six Flags Mid-America (MO).
1978- Arrow Dynamics moves facilities to Clearfield, UTAH from Mountain View, CA.
1979- John Allen died.
1979- The Beast at Kings Island is built by Charles Dinn.
198(1?)- The Bat at Kings Island is the first suspended coaster, an Arrow design.
1982- One train on Kings Island's Racer reversed to travel backwards!
1982- Togo, Inc builds the world's first stand-up coaster in Japan.
1984- The world's first stand-up coaster is relocated from Japan to Kings Island near Cincinnati, Ohio, and renamed the King Cobra.
1984- Youngstown, Ohio's Idora Park closes its gates forever, leaving the Wildcat and Jackrabbit coasters a SBNO status.
1989- The Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point, Sandusky, OH is the first coaster to break the 200 foot plateau (at 204). An Arrow Dynamic design.
1991- The Steel Phantom at Kennywood park is built. This Arrow design features a 225 foot drop (longest drop ever)into a ravine. The Phantom also boasts to be the fastest coaster (80+ MPH).
1994- The Steel Phantom's 225 foot drop is matched by the Desperado at Buffalo Bill's Resort in Jean, Nevada.
1996- Cedar Point builds Mantis, the fastest, longest, steepest stand-up coaster. It also features 4 inversions.
1996- The "Roller Coaster Web Page" is born. ...Woohoo!...
1996- The month of June is declared "International Month of the Roller Coaster".
1996- Superman the Escape dubuts as the first coaster to reach 100 MPH. Many people debate its coaster or non-coaster status, but the 100 MPH is noteworth. Personally... it's not a coaster, it's nothing but a glorified Demon Drop free fall ride.
1997- Steel Force at Dorney Park opens.
1997- Alpengiest at Busch Gardens, Virginia opens. It is currently the tallest inverted B&M coaster. Tallest, is only one of many records broken.
1997- "Chang" at Kentucky Kingdom opens, breaks all of Mantis' records for stand-up coasters.
