Notable Roller Coasters

first coaster of a specific kind, style, or manufacturing material; ground-breaking.

first use of unique technology.

first time a particular record-breaking threshold was crossed.

historical significance

The coasters mentioned here are not intended to be a complete list of all coasters ever created, but are significant for their role in the amusement industry.

ROLLER COASTER FIRSTS

First coaster featuring cars that locked onto track: Les Montagnes Russes à Belleville ( Russian Mountains of Belleville). Paris, France . 1817.

First complete-circuit coaster: Promenades Aériennes (The Aerial Walk). Paris, France . 1817

First looping coaster (non-circuit): Centrifugal Railway, Frascati Garden. Paris, France . 1846¹

First coaster in America: Mauch Chunk Switchback Railroad

First use of powered chainlift: Gravity Pleasure. 1885

First use of lapbar: Drop-The-Dips, Coney Island, Brooklyn, N.Y. , USA . 1907

First coaster with a möbius-style track: Derby Racer , Euclid Beach Park , Cleveland, Oh. , USA. 1913

First coaster to be relocated: Rocket, Playland Park, San Antonio, Texas 1947

First tubular steel coaster: Matterhorn Bobsleds , Disneyland , Anaheim, Ca. , USA. 1959

First coaster to use individual brake zones allowing for multiple trains to run at the same time: Matterhorn Bobsleds, Disneyland, Anaheim, Ca., USA. 1959

First coaster over 100 feet (30.48 m) tall: Serpent of Fire, La Feria Chapultépec Mágico ( Mexico City , Mexico ). 1964

First indoor coaster: Fire In The Hole, Silver Dollar City , Branson, Missouri , USA. 1972

First "modern" coaster to invert passengers; two inversions: Corkscrew, Knott's Berry Farm , Buena Park, Ca. , USA. 1975

First "modern" coaster with a , Valencia, Ca. , USA. 1976

First coaster with three inversions: Corkscrew, Cedar Point , Sandusky, Oh. , USA. 1976

First shuttle coaster: King Kobra, Kings Dominion , Doswell, Virginia 1977

First coaster to feature two interlocking loops: Loch Ness Monster , Busch Gardens Europe , Williamsburg, Virginia , USA. 1978

First coaster with four inversions: Carolina Cyclone, Carowinds , North Carolina and South Carolina , USA. 1980

First coaster with a ", Worlds Of Fun , Kansas City, Mo. , USA. 1980

First suspended coaster: Bat, Kings Island , Cincinnati, Oh. , USA. 1981

First coaster with five inversions: Viper , Darien Lake , Darien, N.Y. , USA. 1982

First coaster to operate vehicles in reverse: Racer , Kings Island /Rebel Yell, Kings Dominion . 1982

First coaster to run stand-up trains: Dangai, Thrill Valley, Japan . 1982

First coaster with heartline inversion: Ultra Twister, Nagashima Spa Land . 1985

First coaster with six inversions: Vortex, Kings Island . 1987

First coaster with seven inversions: Shockwave , Six Flags Great America (Gurnee, IL ), USA. 1988

First closed circuit coaster to exceed 200 feet in height (60.96 m) tall: Magnum XL-200 , Cedar Point . 1989

First looping coaster to feature an underwater tunnel: Anaconda, Kings Dominion , Doswell, Va. , USA. 1991

First inverted coaster: Batman The Ride , Six Flags Great America . 1992

First inverted coaster with a "cobra-roll" element: Raptor , Cedar Point . 1994 {Link without Title}

First coaster with eight inversions: Dragon Khan , Port Aventura , Salou , Spain . 1995

First coasters to utilize Linear Induction Motor (LIM) electromagnetic propulsion system: at Kings Island and Flight Of Fear , Kings Dominion . 1996

First coaster to utilize Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM) electromagnetic propulsion system: Superman The Escape , Six Flags Magic Mountain . 1997

First coaster to feature an inclined inversion: Mantis , Cedar Point . 1996

First coaster (non-complete circuit) over 400 feet (121.92 m) tall: , Six Flags Magic Mountain . 1997

First flying coaster: Skytrak , Granada Studios , ( Manchester , United Kingdom ). 1997

First diving coaster: Oblivion, Alton Towers , ( Alton, Staffordshire , United Kingdom ). 1998

First Inverted LIM launched coaster: Volcano, The Blast Coaster , Kings Dominion . 1998

First Duel LIM launched roller coaster: Batman And Robin The Chiller Six Flags Great Adventure . 1998

First Top Rail Floorless coaster: Medusa , Six Flags Great Adventure . 1999

First Tire Propelled Launch: Incredible Hulk , Universal Orlando , Islands Of Adventure , Orlando, Fl. 1999

First dueling inverted roller coasters: Dueling Dragons, Universal Orlando , Islands Of Adventure , Orlando, Fl. 1999

First closed circuit coaster to exceed 300 feet in height (91.44 m) tall: Millennium Force , Cedar Point . 2000

First coaster to utilize an elevator cable lift system: Millennium Force , Cedar Point . 2000

First modern wooden coaster with vertical loop: Son of Beast, Kings Island . 2000 (Note: After an accident on July 9, 2006 the ride was closed and the loop was removed to re-open the ride)

First wooden coaster over 200 feet (60.96) tall: Son of Beast, Kings Island . 2000

First coaster with a 90° vertical drop: Cliffhanger, Taiwan . 2001

First coaster to utilize pneumatic propulsion system: Hypersonic XLC , Kings Dominion . 2001

First coaster to feature both a lift hill and propulsion system: California Screamin' , Disney's California Adventure . 2001

First coaster to utilize a hydraulic propulsion system: Xcelerator , Knott's Berry Farm . 2002

First coaster with ten inversions: Colossus , Thorpe Park , Chertsey , Surrey , United Kingdom. 2002

First coaster with rider seats that rotate on their own axis (a "4th dimension"): X , Six Flags Magic Mountain 2002

First closed circuit coaster to exceed 400 feet in height (121.92 m) tall: Top Thrill Dragster , Cedar Point . 2003

First coaster to go steeper than 90 degrees: Vildsvinet, BonBon-Land , Denmark 2003

First coaster with a "fly-through" station: Thunderhead , Dollywood , Pigeon Forge, Tn. , USA. 2004

First coaster with a 97° drop: Typhoon, Bobbejaanland . 2004

First coaster with a vertical lift hill: Typhoon, Bobbejaanland . 2004

First Hydralic launched coaster to feature inversions: Storm Runner , Hersheypark . 2004

First coaster to feature a "bent cuban eight": G-Force, Drayton Manor Theme Park ( Drayton Manor , United Kingdom ). 2005

First floor-less dive coaster: Griffon, Busch Gardens Europe . 2007

ROLLER COASTER TALLEST RECORDS

Tallest steel roller coasters

These are the tallest steel continuous-circuit Superman The Escape at Six Flags Magic Mountain , Valencia , California is 415 feet tall, but it is not a continuous-circuit coaster. For safety reasons, the cars on the ride only go to a height of about 325 feet. roller coasters in the world. Parentheses indicate when that coaster was tallest.

# Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure , Jackson Township, New Jersey, USA , 139m / 456 feet (May 2005 - Present)
# Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point , Sandusky, Ohio, USA , 128 m / 420 feet (May 2003 - May 2005)
# Steel Dragon 2000 at Nagashima Spa Land , Nagashima, Mie, Japan , 97 m / 318 feet (August 2000 - May 2003). Note: this coaster was not active May 2003 - September 2006. It has been reopened since September 3, 2006.
# Millennium Force at Cedar Point , Sandusky, Ohio, USA , 94.5 m / 310 feet (May 2000 - August 2000)
# Thunder Dolphin at LaQua Korakuen Park , Tokyo, Japan , 80 m / 263 feet
# Fujiyama at Fuji-Q Highland , Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan , 79 m / 259 feet (July 1996 – May 2000)
# Eejanaika at Fuji-Q Highland , Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan , 76 m / 249.33 feet
# Titan at Six Flags Over Texas , Arlington, Texas, USA , 74.7m / 245 feet
# Silver Star at Europa Park , Rust, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany , 72.8m / 239 feet
# Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain , Valencia, California, USA , 71.6 m / 235 feet

Tallest wooden roller coasters

These are the tallest continuous wooden circuit roller coasters in the world. Parentheses indicate when that coaster was tallest.

# Son Of Beast , Kings Island . 218 feet. (May 2000 - present)
# Colossos , Heide Park , 196 feet and 10 inches with a 159-foot drop.
# El Toro , Six Flags Great Adventure , 188 feet with a 176-foot drop.
# Rattler , Six Flags Fiesta Texas , 179 feet with a 124-foot drop. (March 1992 - May 2000)
# The Voyage , Holiday World & Splashin' Safari , 173 feet with a 154-foot drop.

Tallest stand up coasters

# The Riddler's Revenge , Six Flags Magic Mountain , Valencia, California 1998 : 156 feet.
# Chang (roller Coaster) , Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom , Louisville, Kentucky : 154 feet.
# Mantis , Cedar Point , Sandusky, Ohio : 145 feet.
# Fujin Raijin II, Expoland , Suita, Osaka, Japan : 141 feet
# Fujin-Raijin, Mitsui Greenland , Arao, Kumamota, Japan : 125 feet.

Tallest vertical loops

# , Six Flags Fiesta Texas . 2000 44.196 m (145 ft)
# Viper , Six Flags Magic Mountain . 1990 42.672 m (140 ft)
# Dominator , Geauga Lake . 2000 41.1 m (135 ft)
# Scream! , Six Flags Magic Mountain . 2003 39.01 m (128 ft)
# The Riddler's Revenge , Six Flags Magic Mountain . 1998 37.8 m (124 ft)
# Mantis , Cedar Point . 1996 36.3 m (119 ft)

Tallest dive coasters

# Griffon , Busch Gardens Europe , Williamsburg, Virginia 2007 205 ft 90 degree dive
# SheiKra , Busch Gardens Africa , Tampa, Florida 2005 200 ft 90 degree dive.
# Oblivion , Alton Towers , Staffordshire , England , United Kingdom

OTHER ROLLER COASTER RECORDS

Fastest roller coasters

These are the fastest roller coasters in the world. Parentheses indicate when that coaster was fastest.

# Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure , Jackson Township, New Jersey, USA , 128 mph / 206 km/h ( May 2005 - present)
# Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point , Sandusky, Ohio, USA , 120 mph / 193 km/h ( May 2003 - May 2005 )
# Dodonpa at Fuji-Q Highland , Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan , 106.9 mph / 172 km/h ( December 2001 - May 2003 )
#Tie
#: Tower Of Terror at Dreamworld , Coomera, Queensland, Australia , 100 mph / 161 km/h ( January 1997 - December 2001 )
#: Superman The Escape at Six Flags Magic Mountain , Valencia, California, USA , 100 mph / 161 km/h ( March 1997 - December 2001 )
# Steel Dragon 2000 at Nagashima Spa Land , Mie Prefecture , Japan , 95 mph / 152.9 km/h
# Millennium Force at Cedar Point , Sandusky, Ohio, USA , 93 mph / 149.7 km/h

Highest wooden roller coaster drops

These are the tallest drops on continuous wooden circuit roller coasters in the world. Parentheses indicate when that coaster had the tallest drop.

# Son Of Beast , Kings Island : 214 feet. (May 2000 - present)
# El Toro , Six Flags Great Adventure : 176 feet.
# Colossos , Heide Park : 159 feet.
# Mean Streak , Cedar Point : 155 feet. (May 1991 - May 2000)
# The Voyage , Holiday World & Splashin' Safari : 154 feet.
# The Boss , Six Flags St. Louis : 150 feet
# American Eagle , Six Flags Great America : 147 feet. (May 1981 - May 1991)

Highest roller coaster

# The High Roller, Stratosphere Las Vegas , Las Vegas, Nevada , at 1,081 feet (329 m) above the surrounding terrain. The ride closed at the end of 2005.

Longest steel roller coasters

# Steel Dragon 2000 , Nagashima Spa Land , at 8,133 feet (Note: this coaster was not in operation May 2003 - September 2006. It is open as of September 3, 2006.)
# Daidarasaurus , Expoland , 1970 (longest in 1999 ) at 7,677 feet.
# Ultimate , Lightwater Valley , 1991 at 7,442 feet.
# The Beast , Kings Island , 1979 at 7,359 feet.
# Son Of Beast , Kings Island , 2000 at 7,032 feet.
# Fujiyama , Fuji-Q Highland , 1996 at 6,708 feet.
# Millennium Force , Cedar Point , 2000 at 6,595 feet.

Longest wooden coasters

# The Beast , Kings Island , Mason, Ohio at 7,359 feet.
# Son Of Beast , Kings Island , Mason, Ohio at 7,032 feet.
# The Voyage , Holiday World & Splashin' Safari , Santa Claus, Indiana at 6,442 feet.
# Shivering Timbers , Michigan's Adventure , Muskegon, Michigan at 5,383 feet.

Most inversions

Note that according to Guinness World Records , the roller coaster with the most inversions, at 14, is Eejanaika at Fuji-Q Highland , Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan , completed in 2006. However, the Roller Coaster DataBase disagrees with this since all but 3 of Eejanaika's inversions are accomplished by spinning the seats rather than actually inverting the track. For this reason, Eejanaika and other 4th Dimension Spinning Roller Coasters are not included in this list.

Ten inversions

Colossus , Thorpe Park , Chertsey , Surrey UK . 2002.

Tenth Ring Roller Coaster , Chimelong Paradise , Guangzhou , Guangdong China .

Eight inversions

Dragon Khan , PortAventura , Salou , Tarragona Spain . 1995.

Monte Makaya , Terra Encantada , Rio De Janeiro , Brazil .

Avalancha , Xetulul amusement park, Retalhuleu , Guatemala .

Flight Of The Phoenix , Phoenix Mountain's Happy Park , Ningbo , Zhejiang China .

Number of coasters at a single park

# Cedar Point : 17
# has the following non-operational coasters currently in place and not counting towards this number: Flashback.
# Canada's Wonderland and Kings Island : 14

Oldest

Oldest wooden operating: Leap-The-Dips at Lakemont Park , Pennsylvania - installed in 1902, it was closed from 1985 until 1999Urbanowicz, Steven J. (2002). ''The Roller Coaster Lover's Companion;'' Citadel Press, New York. ISBN 0806523093.

Oldest continually operating wooden : Scenic Railway at Luna Park, Melbourne , Australia - installed in 1912

Oldest steel operating: Matterhorn Bobsleds , Disneyland , California - installed 1959 Urbanowicz, Steven J. (2002). ''The Roller Coaster Lover's Companion;'' Citadel Press, New York. ISBN 0806523093.

NOTES

	CATEGORIES ABOUT LIST OF NOTABLE ROLLER COASTERS

	roller coasters

	lists of buildings and structures

	rollercoasters

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Notable Roller Coasters