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The adrenaline rush of a roller coaster ride provides its fans with a leg-wobbling wave of euphoria and exhilaration unmatched by any other experience. It takes a certain amount of courage?or foolhardiness?to climb onto a roller coaster, but what a ride. Fans travel the world to experience the latest and most gut wrenching rides, and what a selection they have to choose from! Exactly who built the very first roller coasters is contentious, but they are generally agreed to have appeared in 17th century St. Petersburg where they were made of ice and wood and accordingly nicknamed ?Russian Mountains?. Now a staple of amusement parks and theme parks, the first patented roller coaster appeared in the first real theme park, at famed Coney Island in 1884 thanks to the ?Father of the Gravity Ride? LaMarcus Adna Thompson, an American inventor and amusement park pioneer. His ?scenic railways? were a sensation, so much so that he opened six at Coney Island alone. The first golden age of the roller coaster ended with the Great Depression in tandem with the decline of amusement parks in general. Revival of interest in roller coasters only started in 1972 with the construction of The Racer at Kings Island, Ohio. This started the second golden age of the roller coaster and led in turn to the construction of rides like Rebel Yell (at Kings Dominion, Virginia) and Thunder Road (at Carowinds, North and South Carolina). ?In 1959 at Disneyland, California, the first steel track roller coaster called Matterhorn Bobsleds, appeared leading the way with innovative loops and corkscrews. Aficionados have their favorites; some prefer steel roller coasters for their smoother ride and ability to turn their passengers upside down as they fly around the tracks. Conversely, others prefer the more old-fashioned wooden roller coasters that rattle along and play with negative G-forces to provide ?air time? for their passengers. Now there are numerous types of roller coaster that broadly divide into train type coasters, mechanical coasters, and track layout coasters. This book looks at the development of roller coasters and how they have evolved into the biggest theme park attractions in the world and takes you on a tour of the greatest, most spectacular, and hair-raising roller coaster rides!