The Evolution of the Thrill Ride

The roller coaster originates from St. Petersburg, Russia as a simple machine that allowed the joy seeker to slide down a icy ramp to create thrills. The thrill ride was released to the American public in 1884 in the form of LaMarcus Adna Thompson's Switchback Railway. The ride was 10 ft. high, 600 ft. long and went at a top speed of 10 mph and featured several hills. With Thompson's instant success came instant competition and Thompson's thrill ride was eventually made obsolete by his competitors faster and larger coasters. Today, you will be hard pressed to find a roller coaster that is slower than 30 mph and doesn't feature at least one curve around a bend.
                     
                        Russian Ice Slides(Thought to be first roller coasters).

                                             

                                           LaMarcus Thompson's Thrill Ride
                                       
                                        
                     
                                 The Shambhala in Salou, Catalonia, Spain