Roller Coaster Day is celebrated every year on August 16. The reason for choosing the date is not clear, but the most reliable explanation for choosing this day is that on August 16, 1898, the first patent for a ride on a roller coaster was registered. The date August 16th has been marked by fairs, parks and roller coaster fans all over the world since the 1980s.
The origin of the first roller coaster is a train called "Russian Mountains". This train was specially designed to fit the icebergs that surround St. Petersburg.
It was built on the snow slopes in the 15th century from slides at a height of 24 meters reinforced by wooden beams. In many languages, "Russian Mountains" remains the name for the roller coaster. Precisely in modern Russia the name of the roller coaster is "American mountains" (American gorki).
Some historians claim that the first real roller coaster was built at the behest of Russian Queen Catherine the Great in 1784 in the Orinbaum Gardens in St. Petersburg.
Other historians believe that the first roller coaster was built by the French. "Belleville's Russian Mountains" was built in Paris in 1812 and had carriages with wheels that locked for safety and traveled at a higher speed.
The roller coasters do give passengers a sense of immediate danger, but statistically speaking they are extremely safe, and the chance of being injured in them in a way that requires hospital treatment is 1 in 20 million.
How to celebrate roller coaster day?
Across the US, many of the largest parks are offering special deals to visitors on August 16. Devout roller coaster fans don't give up this day to ride a roller coaster and some even take a day off work for it.
If you are a roller coaster lover, come to the amusement park, ride a roller coaster and take a picture of yourself as a souvenir.
Happy roller coaster day!
Some photos os people in Roller Coaster:
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