While rides at the fair have become increasingly complicated and intense, they actually started out rather simple. Rides have been around for a long time, even before June 16, 1884, when the first roller coaster in America opened at Coney Island, in Brooklyn, New York. The first roller coaster in history originated in Russia in the 15th century as a form of ice sledding. The first rollercoaster in America was known as a switchback railway, and it was the brainchild of LaMarcus Thompson. It traveled approximately six miles per hour and cost just a nickel to ride. The new entertainment was an instant success and by the turn of the century there were hundreds of roller coasters around the country.
While no one is certain, it is believed that Coney Island was named for the Dutch Konijn Eilandt, or Rabbit Island. Coney Island is a tract of land along the Atlantic Ocean discovered by explorer Henry Hudson in 1609. It was immediately a popular place, with the first hotel being established in 1829. By the post-Civil War years, Coney Island was an established resort area with theaters, restaurants and a racetrack. Then, between 1897 and 1904, something new got started. Three amusement parks sprang up at Coney Island…Dreamland, Luna Park, and Steeplechase. Coney Island was accessible by subway by the 1920s, and summer crowds of a million 
people a day flocked there for rides, games, sideshows, the beach, and the two-and-a-half-mile boardwalk, completed in 1923.
It is thought that Charles Feltman invented the hot dog at Coney Island in 1867. A nickel hot dog stand called Nathan’s was opened in 1916, by a former Feltman employee and went on to become a Coney Island institution and international franchise. Today, Nathan’s is famous not only for its hot dogs, but also for its hot dog-eating contest, which is held each Fourth of July at Coney Island.
Like most things, the Great Depression hit the amusement parks hard. Roller coasters and amusement parks experienced a decline during the Great Depression and World War II, mostly because Americans had less cash to spend on entertainment. The saving grace came in 1955, with the opening of Disneyland in Anaheim, California. That signaled the advent of the modern theme park and a rebirth of the roller coaster. They became bigger and scarier. No longer was it a ride for everyone. Now, it was not recommended for those with a weak stomach. Nevertheless, Disneyland’s success sparked a wave of new parks and roller coasters. In the 1970s, parks were competing to create the most thrilling rides…leaving the simple rides at Coney Island in
By the mid-1960s, the major amusement parks at Coney Island had closed down and the area took on a seedy image, but in recent years it’s been revitalized, and had become a popular tourist attraction again. Coney Island is still home to the Cyclone, an old wooden roller coaster that made its debut in 1927. That one was capable of speeds of 60 mph and with an 85-foot drop, the Cyclone is one of the country’s oldest operational coasters today.
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