Roller Coaster Almanac - Everything

[Dave Althoff]

The Roller Coaster Almanac
Last updated: 11/01/1998
Compiled by Dave Althoff, Jr. (dalt...@capital.edu)

---- January ----

January 3--
1984: A woman was killed when she fell from the {Matterhorn
Bobsleds} roller coaster at Disneyland.

January 6--
1985: Death of Patrick Duffy, owner of Idora Park,
Youngstown, Ohio.

January 8--
1982: Fred Moran, owner of the Coney Island, NY.
{Thunderbolt} dies at the age of 64. Mr. Moran lived
in the house underneath the roller coaster.
1990: A fire at Americana Amusement Park (Middletown, Ohio)
destroyed the bathhouse and the former Stardust
Gardens ballroom.

January 10--
1929: William George Bean, one of the founders of the
Blackpool Pleasure Beach, sets sail on the {SS Arduna}
for a three-month cruise to South America and the
Pacific Ocean.

January 12--
1990: The {Star Tours} simulator ride opens at Disney-MGM
Studios, Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

January 15--
1975: {Space Mountain} opens at Walt Disney World.

January 17--
1929: William George Bean, one of the founding partners of
the Blackpool Pleasure Beach, dies of pneumonia aboard
the {SS Arduna} and is buried at sea near the Canary
Islands.
1990: At about 3:00 pm, visitors at Boardwalk & Baseball,
Haines City, Florida, were asked to leave. The park
then closed permanently.

January 20--
1885: LaMarcus A. Thompson granted patent for {Switchback
Railway}.

January 26--
1993: {Mickey's Toontown} opens at Disneyland. Anaheim, CA.
1994: {Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin} ride opens at
Disneyland, Anaheim, California.

January 30--
1933: Summit Beach Park (Akron, Ohio) equipment auctioned.
High bid of $1,100 by a group of bondholders makes
continued operation of the park possible.

January 31--
1993: ACE - {<A>merican <C>oaster <E>nthusiasts} - members
are invited to tour the Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters
factory.

---- February ----

February 1--
1977: United States Patent #4,005,877, "Vehicle Passenger
Restraint System," granted to Thomas Humphries and
assigned to Arrow Development Corp. for the Corkscrew
seat and bar mechanism.
1989: Death of Cyril Wagner, former owner of Walled Lake
Amusement Park (Walled Lake, MI) and Edgewater Park
(Detroit, MI).
1992: Death of Parker Beach, former owner of Chippewa Lake
Park, Ohio, at age 86.

February 2--
1862: George Arthur Boeckling (1862-1931) born. Boekling
was the showman largely responsible for the
development of Cedar Point into a major seasonal
resort.

February 3--
1934: Birth of actor George Segal, whose film credits
include the role of safety inspector Harry Calder in
the 1977 film {Rollercoaster}...which is why he is
listed here.

February 4--
1985: Rides and attractions from Petticoat Junction
Amusement Park (Panama City, Florida) auctioned off.
1986: Death of Mel Heavener, General Manager, Bushkill Park,
Easton, Pennsylvania.

February 8--
1992: Camden Park (Huntington, West Virginia) auctioned off
its carousel in pieces.

February 10--
1993: Boblo Island, Amhertsberg, Ontario, auctioned intact.

February 12--
1936: A fire consumed the bathhouse at Wildwood Amusement
Park, Mahtomedi, Minnesota.

February 13--
1988: The 1917 C. W. Parker carousel from San Antonio's
Playland was auctioned in pieces.

February 14--
1859: Birth of George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. in
Galesburg, Illinois. Ferris was the engineer,
entrepreneur, and showman responsible for the Ferris
Wheel at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago,
Illinois, 1893.
1967: {Pirates of the Carribbean} opens at Disneyland,
Anaheim, California.
1987: Circus World, Haines City, Florida, re-opens as
Boardwalk and Baseball (closes again in 1990).

February 16--
1996: Luna Park, Sydney, Austraila closes after a brief
resurrection.

February 22--
1997: Old Indiana Fun Park (Thorntown, Indiana) rides and
equipment auctioned.

February 23--
1966: Demolition of the {Comet} begins at Forest Park
Highlands, St. Louis, Missouri.
1972: Former Euclid Beach dance pavilion burned down.
1997: The last remaining building from the ill-fated <Six
Flags AutoWorld> theme park in Flint, Michigan is
imploded. Constructed in 1929 as the IMA Auditorium,
the building closed in 1979, was renovated, and became
part of AutoWorld in 1984. The site is now part of
the University of Michigan Flint campus.

February 24--
1990: The Mangels-Illions Carousel at Boblo Island
(Amhertsberg, Ontario) is auctioned.

February 26--
1966: Demolition of the {Comet} is completed at Forest Park
Highlands, St. Louis, Missouri.
1971: Kennywood finally purchases the 140 acres on which the
park sits from the Kenny family for $1,300,000.

---- March ----

March 1--
1919: Death of Theodore Marshall (T. M.) Harton, early
coaster builder, ride operator, and founder of West
View Park.
1980: {Judge Roy Scream} opens at Six Flags over Texas. The
air temperature was 17 degrees (F), and only 180
people were in the park. One member of the {Apache
Bells} drill team passed out due to the cold and wind
of the first ride.

March 7--
1992: {Ninja}, a Vekoma multi-looping coaster, opens at Six
Flags over Georgia.

March 8--
1848: Birth of LaMarcus A. Thompson (1848-1919), the first
to actually patent and build a roller-coaster, the
{Switchback Railway,} in 1884. Thompson was born in
Jersey, Ohio, about fifteen miles Northeast of
Columbus.

March 9--
1988: Bankrupt Boyertown USA (Altoona, PA) sold at auction.
1991: The {Vortex} opens at Great America, Santa Clara,
California.

March 11--
1989: The {Skyhawk} ride opens at Great America, Santa
Clara, California.

March 12--
1983: ACE first EastCoaster event - {ACE Conference East.}
1997: The long awaited {Superman: The Escape} ride finally
opens at <Six Flags Magic Mountain>, Valencia,
California. The first amusement ride to carry
passengers at speeds of 100 miles per hour, {Superman:
The Escape} opened about 11 months behind schedule.

March 14--
1992: Fiesta Texas and the {Rattler,} designed by John
Pierce, open to the public.
1992: {Vortex} stand-up coaster by Bolliger & Mabillard
opens at Paramount's Carowinds.
1992: Death of C. V. Wood, Jr. Wood was the first
vice-president and general manager of Disneyland,
Anaheim, California.
1998: {Oblivion}, the first Dive Machine coaster-like drop
ride from Bolliger & Mabillard, opens at Alton Towers,
Staffordshire, England.

March 15--
1997: {Superman: The Escape} opens to the public for normal
daily operation. Eleven months behind schedule, it
was the first amusement ride to carry passengers at
speeds of 100 miles per hour. The 415-foot-tall ride
opened to the press on March 12, 1997 at Six Flags
Magic Mountain, Valencia, California.

March 17--
1936: Flood devastates Lakemont Park, Altoona, PA.

March 19--
1993: {Top Gun,} designed by Bolliger & Mabillard opens at
Paramount's Great America in Santa Clara, California.
1996: Death of Joe Hofner, owner of Vollmar's Park (Bowling
Green, Ohio), at age 58.
1998: Fatal ride accident at the Austin-Travis County
Livestock Show and Rodeo. Three riders were thrown
from the {Himalaya}; one was killed when she struck
the scenery panel and platform.

March 21--
1989: Joyland Park (Topeka, Kansas) auctioned.
1998: {Mad Cobra}, the first LIM-launched coaster in Asia,
opens at Suzuka Circuitland, Mie Prefecture, Japan.

March 23--
1991: {Anaconda,} multi-looper designed by Arrow Dynamics,
opens at Paramount's Kings Dominion, Doswell,
Virginia.
1991: The {Psyclone} roller coaster opens at Six Flags Magic
Mountain, Valencia, California.

March 25--
1989: The {Chaos} roller coaster opens at Opryland USA
(Nashville, Tennessee).
1998: Press day for the long delayed {Mr. Freeze} launched
coaster at Six Flags Over Texas.

March 26--
1998: {Stampeda}, a CCI-built roller coaster at Port
Aventura, Spain, reopens for the first time after its
fatal 1997 accident.

March 27--
1968: {Thunderbolt,} designed by Andy Vettel, completed at
Kennywood, finishing a complete redesign of John
Miller's 1924 {Pippin,} creating the coaster we know
today.
1982: The {Grizzly} roller coaster opens at Kings Dominion
(Doswell, Virginia).
1993: {Batman: The Ride,} a Bolliger & Mabillard inverted
coaster, opens at Six Flags Great Adventure in
Jackson, New Jersey.

March 28--
1998: {Mr. Freeze}, a Premier Rides LIM-launched coaster,
opens at Six Flags Over Texas...one year late.

March 29--
1980: Fatal collision on {Willard's Whizzer} at Great
America (Santa Clara, California) killed one and
injured eight.
1996: Legoland Windsor (England) opens.
1998: Death of Dewey Mathis, 33-year Chance Rides employee
and product expert, at the age of 52.

March 30--
1903: Riverview Park (Aurora, Illinois) takes delivery of
its carousel.
1996: {Megafobia,} a new wood coaster by Custom Coasters
International, officially opens at Oakwood,
Pembrokeshire, Wales. Some enthusiasts consider this
the most important new wood coaster built in the U.K.
for over 50 years.
1998: Iwerks Entertainment Inc.'s shareholders reject a plan
for a merger with Showscan Entertainment.

March 31--
1994: Fire at Seabreeze Park destroys PTC carousel #36 and a
number of other park accessories, including a coaster
train.
1990: Nine people were admitted to Kansas City area
hospitals for treatment of injuries sustained when two
trains collided on the {Timber Wolf} at World's of Fun
(Kansas City, Missouri).
1973: Carowinds, near Charlotte, North Carolina, opens.
1998: Financial & Trading Corporation (FITRACO) of Antwerp,
Belgium acquires the remains of the closed Magic
Springs amusement park in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

---- April ----

April 1--
1931: "Kilbourn, Wisconsin" changes its name to "Wisconsin
Dells".
1996: The {Colorado Adventure} mine train (Vekoma) opens at
Phantasialand in Bruhl, Germany.
1989: The {Timber Wolf} roller coaster opens at Worlds of
Fun (Kansas City, Missouri).
1998: Premier Parks, Inc. completes its acquisition of Six
Flags Theme Parks, a 1.9-billion-dollar deal which
made Premier the world's largest regional theme park
operator.

April 2--
1998: {Roar}, a wooden twister-style coaster from Great
Coasters International (GCI) opens at Adventure World,
Largo, MD.

April 3--
1993: {Wacky Worm} opens at Worlds of Fun, Kansas City,
Missouri.
1971: Opening Day for the final season at Palisades Park
(Fort Lee, New Jersey).

April 4--
1992: {Drachen Fire,} designed by Arrow Dynamics, opens at
Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
1980: The {Orient Express} steel roller coaster opens at
Worlds of Fun (Kansas City, Missouri). Designed by
Arrow Development, this was the first coaster to
employ the "Kamikaze Kurve" looping element, now
better known as a "Boomerang".

April 6--
1984: Old Orchard Beach in Maine is auctioned.

April 7--
1939: Now known as the {Texas Tornado,} the {Cyclone} roller
coaster opened in Morecambe, England. The coaster was
originally built in 1937 for the Paris Exposition by
Charles Paige, Harry Traver, and Leonard Thompson.
1992: Death of Carl Theel, founder of Theel Manufacturing.

April 8--
1993: The {Dreamflight} ride opens at de Efteling,
Kaatsheuvel, The Netherlands.

April 9--
1988: {Amazon Falls,} an Intamin Shoot-The-Chute ride, opens
at Kings Island (Kings Mills, Ohio).
1993: {Top Gun,} a suspended coaster designed by Arrow
Dynamics, first opens at Paramount's Kings Island.
1997: An after-hours fire destroys the Fiberglas shop
building at Morgan Manufacturing, LaSelva Beach,
California. No one was hurt, but two clay carousel
figure sculptures were destroyed, along with several
carousel parts and a trade-show booth.

April 10--
1981: Cambridge Properties, owners of Boblo Island, files
for bankruptcy
1993: {Thunderation,} designed by Arrow Dynamics, opens at
Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri.

April 11--
1987: The {Vortex} 6-loop roller coaster, designed by Arrow
Dynamics, opens at Kings Island (Kings Mills, Ohio).

April 12--
1984: The rides at Six Gun Territory (Silver Springs,
Florida) are auctioned.

April 13--
1920: The dance hall at Celoron Park (Chautauqua Lake, New
York) is destroyed by fire.
1979: Press day for the {Beast} at Kings Island, Kings
Mills, Ohio.
1991: {Adventure Express,} the first Arrow Dynamics Runaway
Train to be built in the U.S. in a decade, opens at
Kings Island, Kings Mills, Ohio.

April 14--
1995: The World of Coasters officially opens on the World
Wide Web.
1979: {The Beast} first opens at Kings Island, Kings Mills,
Ohio. {The Beast} is the World's Longest Wooden
Roller Coaster with 7,400 feet of track.

April 15--
1983: Tokyo Disneyland opens.
1989: After only one year of operation, Kentucky Kingdom
(Louisville, Kentucky) is auctioned.

April 16--
1994: Peony Park (Omaha, Nebraska) auctioned.
1996: Rides at Rocky Point Park (Warwick, Rhode Island)
auctioned.

April 18--
1993: The {Whirlwind} looping roller coaster opens at
Knoebel's Amusement Resort, Elysburg, Pennsylvania.
1996: 42 (of 58) elevator inspectors in New York City, New
York are suspended without pay for alleged
misconduct/suspected bribery. Some of those suspended
also serve as amusement ride inspectors for the city.
1998: A mechanical failure causes a train on the {Demon} at
Six Flags Great America to become stalled and jammed
in a vertical loop, leaving riders stuck upside-down
for a couple of hours.

April 19--
1924: Death of Paul Boynton, founder of Sea Lion Park (Coney
Island, New York).

April 20--
1908: The remains of Chutes Park (Chicago, Illinois) are
auctioned.
1993: Kumba, designed by Bolliger & Mabillard, opens at
Busch Gardens Tampa.
1996: The wooden support structure of the Vekoma {Colorado
Adventure} mine train at Phantasialand (Bruhl,
Germany) catches fire. About 1/8 of the structure is
damaged; welding sparks from efforts to complete
theming installation are suspected.
1997: Fatal accident on the {Wildcat} steel coaster at
Bell's Amusement Park, Tulsa, OK. A car disengaged
from the lift prematurely, the anti-rollback failed,
and the car rolled backward down the lift, colliding
with another car. One rider was killed, others were
injured.

April 21--
1981: Press day for {The Bat,} a prototype suspended roller
coaster from Arrow/Huss, at Kings Island (Kings Mills,
Ohio).
1986: Pirate Island Amusement Park (Ft. Walton Beach,
Florida) auctioned.

April 22--
1989: The Herschell-Spillman carousel at Rocky Point Park
(Warwick, Rhode Island) is auctioned.
1998: {Disney's Animal Kingdom} opens at Walt Disney World.

April 23--
1983: The {Thunder River} rapids ride opens at Six Flags
over Mid America.
1988: The {Jetline} roller coaster opens at Grona Lund
(Stockholm, Sweden).

April 24--
1961: Fire destroys the (1900) bandshell at Kennywood.
Nearby {Pippin} roller coaster (John Miller/1924...now
the {Thunderbolt} by Andy Vettel/1967) narrowly
escapes damage.
1966: Death of George M. Harton III, president of West View
Park and the last member of the Harton family active
in the park's operation.
1993: The {Outlaw} wood coaster, designed by Custom Coasters
International, opens at Adventureland, Des Moines,
Iowa.

April 25--
1990: City Park Funland (Alexandria, Louisiana) is
auctioned.
1998: {Scooby's Ghoster Coaster}, the first Caripro Batflyer
junior suspended coaster in the US, opens at
Paramount's Kings Island.

April 26--
1984: Fire destroys part of the {Wildcat} roller coaster at
Idora Park (Youngstown, Ohio).
1992: Death of Dewey Albert, co-founder of Astroland Park
(Coney Island, New York).

April 27--
1969: Euclid Beach Park (Cleveland, Ohio) opens for its
final season.

April 28--
1994: The {Hurler} opens at Paramount's Kings Dominion,
Doswell, Virginia.
1995: The {Viper} roller coaster opens at Six Flags Great
America, Gurnee, Illinois.

April 29--
1894: Work begins to dismantle the Ferris Wheel used at the
World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.
1909: A roller coaster under construction at Trout Park,
Elgin, Illinois was heavily damaged in a severe storm.

1972: Kings Island first opens to the public.
1987: Cedar Fair, L. P. commenced trading on the New York
Stock Exchange under the symbol <FUN>. Cedar Fair
owns and operates Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio),
Valleyfair! (Shakopee, Minnesota), Dorney Park
(Allentown, Pennsylvania), and Worlds of Fun (Kansas
City, Missouri).
1989: The relocated {Rolling Thunder} Intamin bobsled roller
coaster opens at Six Flags Great America (Gurnee,
Illinois).
1992: Fun Village Amusement Park (Two Rivers, Wisconsin)
auctioned.
1993: State Fair Amusement Park (Springfield, Illinois)
auctioned.

---- May ----

May 1--
1878: Idlewild Park first opens.
1890: Elitch Gardens first opens to the public.
1915: Construction begins on the {Jack Rabbit} coaster at
Luna Park, Cleveland, Ohio.
1948: The {Comet Jr.} roller coaster opens at the State Fair
of Texas in Dallas.
1988: Standing rider thrown from {SooperDooperLooper} at
Hersheypark.
1989: Disney-MGM Studios opens at Walt Disney World,
Florida.

May 2--
1930: Bankrupt <Luna Park>, Cleveland, Ohio is sold at a
Sheriff's auction to J. Harold Bramley, son of the
park's president, for $72,534. Bramley expresses
interest in reopening the park, but lacks the
funds...and the 1929 season proves to be the last for
Luna Park.
1992: Death of Nancy L. Loucks, founder, editor, and
publisher of {The Carousel News and Trader.}
1997: 100 couples participated in a promotional stunt at Six
Flags Great America. In a 7-minute ceremony, the
couples, dressed in formal attire, repeated their
marriage vows, then, 12 couples at a time, were
hoisted 206 feet on the park's new Giant Drop ride to
'take the plunge' together at 62 mph.

May 3--
1975: Kings Dominion opens, Doswell, Virginia.

May 4--
1969: Thousands of rioters roam through Fontaine Ferry Park,
Louisville, Kentucky, looting stands and injuring
employees.

May 5--
1911: Birth in Los Angeles, California of Dave Bradley,
co-founder of amusement ride manufacturing company
Bradley & Kaye.
1990: {Avalanche Run}, an Intamin bobsled coaster, re-opens
as {Disaster Transport} at Cedar Point, Sandusky,
Ohio

May 6--
1950: High winds damage the roller coaster at Dandelion
Park, near Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
1989: The non-looping steel {Magnum XL-200}, designed by
Arrow Dynamics, and the world's first traditional
coaster to exceed 200 feet in height first opens at
Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio.
1995: {The Raven,} designed by Custom Coasters, Inc., opens
at Holiday World.

May 7--
1994: {Raptor,} designed by Bolliger & Mabillard, opens at
Cedar Point.

May 8--
1919: Death of LaMarcus A. Thompson.
1975: The antique carousel from Natatorium Park reopened at
Spokane, Washington's Riverfront Park.

May 9--
1992: {Batman: The Ride,} designed by Bolliger & Mabillard,
opens at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois.

May 10--
1915: <Luna Park>, Cleveland, Ohio, takes delivery of its
PTC carousel. After Luna Park closed, the carousel
moved to another park, then eventually ended up at Six
Flags over Mid America (Six Flags St. Louis) where it
still operates today.
1968: Riverview Park fails to open.
1991: Crossroads Village, Flint, Michigan, opens its
restored C. W. Parker Superior Wheel ride.
1998: The {Power Tower}, a 300-foot-tall cluster of two
Space Shot rides and two Turbo Drop rides from S&S
Sports Power, officially opens at Cedar Point.

May 11--
1902: {S.S. Columbia} (Boblo Island ferry) launched from the
Wyandotte Yard of the Detroit Shipbuilding Company.
1906: George Ferris' Wheel dynamited in St. Louis, Missouri.

1921: The {Pippin} roller coaster at Riverview Park
(Chicago, Illinois) carries its first passengers.
1984: Eight teenagers burned to death in the {Haunted
Castle} attraction at Six Flags Great Adventure,
Jackson, New Jersey. When he entered a room in which
the light had burned out, a boy lit a cigarette
lighter and accidentally ignited the highly-flammable
structure, which burned quickly.
1991: {Mean Streak,} designed by Curtis Summers, opens at
Cedar Point.
1991: The {Sidewinder,} a Vekoma "Boomerang" production
steel coaster, opens at Hersheypark, Hershey,
Pennsylvania.
1992: Death of coaster designer Curtis D. Summers.
1996: {Mantis} (The Coaster Formerly Known as {Banshee})
opens at Cedar Point as the World's Tallest, Steepest,
and Fastest Stand-Up Roller Coaster.
1996: {Wild Thing,} the first steel coaster produced by
Morgan Manufacturing, officially opens at Valleyfair!,
Shakopee, Minnesota.

May 12--
1967: Opening day of the final season for Riverview
1991: The {Dragon} roller coaster opens at Adventureland,
near Des Moines, Iowa.
1994: The {Pepsi Max Big One} opens to the press at
Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

May 13--
1997: Plagued by technical problems, {Test Track} misses its
scheduled opening date at Epcot, Walt Disney World.

May 14--
1904: Dreamland Park opens, Coney Island, Brooklyn,

May 15--
1932: Fire destroys several attractions at Central Park near
Allentown, Pennsylvania.
1993: {Wild Mouse,} designed by Vekoma, opens at Idlewild
Park in Ligonier, Pennsylvania.

May 16--
1903: Luna Park opens, Coney Island, Brooklyn, New
1964: Lake Contrary Park, St. Joseph, Missouri, is
auctioned.
1905: Birth of actor Henry Fonda. Fonda appeared in more
than 100 films, and appears here for playing Simon
Davenport in the 1977 film {Rollercoaster}.
1975: Busch Gardens: The Old Country (now Busch Gardens
Williamsburg) first opens, Williamsburg, Virginia.
1976: <*>
1996: {Montu,} a Bolliger & Mabillard inverted coaster,
officially opens at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

May 17--
1940: The {Cyclone} roller coaster opens at Lakeside Park
(Denver, colorado).

May 18--
1905: <Luna Park> opens, Cleveland, Ohio.
1924: The wooden roller coaster at Dorney Park (Allentown,
Pennsylvania) opens. The coaster was nameless for
decades, but is now known as the {Thunderhawk.}

May 19--
1852: Birth of Dudley Sherman Humphrey II (1852-1933),
president, Euclid Beach Park.

May 20--
1907: New Lakeside Park Casino opened, Akron, Ohio.
1917: A windstorm damages several buildings and the {Dixie
Flyer} roller coaster, delaying the scheduled opening
of Summit Beach Park, Akron, Ohio.
1963: Dutch Wonderland first opens. Lancaster, PA.
1985: Death of Carl E. Henninger, Kennywood Park's Chairman
of the Board.
1995: The {Mind Eraser} (Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster)
opens at Adventure World.

May 21--
1907: Birth of John Allen (1907-1979), an influential
coaster designer, especially for PTC.

May 22--
1948: Crystal Beach {Comet} (now at Great Escape) first
opens.
1984: A car on {The Edge} (Intamin Freefall) at Six Flags
Great America broke loose from the lifting mechanism
and dropped about 60 feet. The three passengers,
eighth-grade boys from LaSalle, IL, were hospitalized
for five days with relatively minor injuries.
1992: Fire destroys engineering section of Vekoma
1997: Low-speed launch tests begin on {Mr. Freeze}, a
Premier Rides shuttle-loop magnetic-catapult coaster
at Six Flags over Texas.

May 23--
1900: William E. Sullivan opens his first ferris wheel, a
45-foot 12-seat model fabricated under contract by the
Illinois Bridge and Machine Company, Jacksonville,
Illinois. Operation license posted in the name of
"The Eli Bridge Co."
1906: West View Park first opens in West View, Pennsylvania
(near Pittsburgh).
1964: {Blue Streak} (Allen/Hoover/PTC) opens, Cedar Point,
Sandusky, Ohio.
1981: {American Eagle} opens at Great America, Gurnee,
Illinois.
1981: Canada's Wonderland opens in Vaughan, Ontario.
1986: Lakemont Park (Altoona, Pennsylvania) re-opens as
Boyertown, USA.
1987: A raft capsized on {Canyon River Rapids} at
Hersheypark (Hershey, Pennsylvania).
1987: Kentucky Kingdom opens in Louisville, Kentucky.
[New!] 1998: {Shivering Timbers}, a huge out-and-back wood coaster
from CCI, opens at Michigan's Adventure, Muskegon,
Michigan.

May 24--
1911: Dreamland Park destroyed by fire.
1984: Patrick Camp, age 5, falls from the {Cedar Creek Mine
Ride} at Cedar Point, and fractures his skull in the
resulting 30' fall to grass.

May 25--
1968: Inaugural performance in Cedar Point's {Golden Palace
Theatre.}

May 26--
1928: Fred Church's {Aero-Plane Coaster} opens at Playland,
Rye, New York.
1939: Baron Stamp, Chairman of the L.M.S. Railway,
officially opens the new Casino (now known as The
Wonderful World) at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
Designed by Joe Emberton, the new Casino replaces the
original, which was constructed in 1913.
1973: Worlds of Fun opens in Kansas City, Missouri.
1985: In an accident at Astroland Amusement Park on Coney
Island, New York, a twenty-nine year old man was
killed when he stood up and struck his head on a
crossbeam while riding the {Cyclone}.

May 27--
1905: White City, Chicago, Illinois opens.
1933: The {Century of Progress} exposition opens in Chicago,
Illinois. The amusement rides included a {Cyclone}
roller coaster designed by Harry Traver.
1977: {Space Mountain} opens at Disneyland in Anaheim,
California.
1993: Pleasure Island Theme Park opens in Cleethorpes,
England.

May 28--
1899: Akron, Ohio police raid the Casino at Lakeside Park
after a Sunday vaudeville performance.
1906: Luna Park opens in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
1982: Kings Island begins running one side of the {Racer}
(1972: John Allen/PTC) backwards.
1988: The carousel and bumper cars at Americana Amusement
Park (Middletown, Ohio) are destroyed by fire.
1994: The 235-foot-high {Pepsi Max Big One} opens to the
public. 1,000 members of the {235 Club} each paid 18
pounds for a guaranteed first-day ride.

May 29--
1909: Trout Park opens in Elgin, Illinois.
1926: The {Amusement Department Store} opens at Coney
Island, New York.
1976: Great America opens in Gurnee Illinois.
1976: Great America(PGA) opens, Santa Clara, California.
1993: {Blue Streak,} designed by Ed Vettel, Sr., rededicated
at Conneaut Lake.

May 30--
1906: Wonderland Park opens, Revere Beach, Massachusets.
1908: Lakeside Park (Denver, Colorado) opens. At the time,
it was known as "White City."
1921: Weona Park opens in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania.
1924: The {Pippin} roller coaster opens at Wildwood
Amusement Park, Mahtomedi, Minnesota.
1930: {Cyclone Racer} (Church/Traver) opens at The Pike in
Long Beach, CA.
1938: Amos Wiedrich is killed on the Crystal Beach
{Cyclone,} that legendary coaster's only fatality.
1972: An accident occurs on the {Big Dipper} at Battersea in
London, England. A train broke loose and rolled
backwards down the lift, colliding with a train in the
station. Five children were killed, numerous other
riders were injured.
1992: Arkansas Twister opens at Magic Springs.
[New!] 1998: The Island Kingdom waterpark opens at Riverside Park,
Agawam, Massachusetts.

May 31--
1983: The {Extremeroller} (also known as {E.X.T.}) opens at
Worlds of Fun as North America's first stand-up roller
coaster.

---- June ----

June 1--
1968: AstroWorld opens.

June 2--
1989: The {Magnum XL-200} at Cedar Point was officially
measured for inclusion in the 1990 {Guiness Book of
World Records}

June 3--
1988: {Shockwave,} an Arrow Dynamics seven-loop coaster,
officially opens at Six Flags Great America, Gurnee,
Illinois.

June 4--
1983: Rides auctioned at Pine Lake Amusement Park, Caroga
Lake, New York.
1993: (closed) Idora Park, Youngstown, Ohio, qualifies for
listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

June 5--
1971: Six Flags over Mid America opens in Eureka, Missouri.

June 6--
1868: Birth of William George Bean, who with John William
Outhwaite formed the Blackpool Corporation. The
Blackpool Corporation turned an impromptu 'country
fair' into the Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
1907: The {Drop The Dip Railway} opened at Coney Island, New
York.
[New!] 1959: The {Submarine Voyage} ride opens at Disneyland,
Anaheim, California.
1978: The {Loch Ness Monster} steel coaster with two
interlocking loops opens at Busch Gardens: The Old
Country in Williamsburg, Virginia.
1994: Richard Rodriguez begins a fund-raising stunt for the
Juvenile Diabetes Foundation by boarding the {Big
Dipper} at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in an attempt to
set a new world record for continuous coaster riding.

June 7--
1967: Six Flags Over Georgia opens in Atlanta, Georgia.
1970: Birth of Dave Althoff, maintainer of the {Roller
Coaster Almanac} 8-)

June 8--
1994: PTC and Morgan Manufacturing announce the sale of the
Morgan wood-coaster-train manufacturing operation to
PTC.

June 9--
1929: Fatal accident on the {Pippin} coaster at Summit Beach
Park, Akron, Ohio.
1978: {ACE Coaster Conference I} opens at Busch Gardens-The
Old Country.
1978: Exclusive Ride Time (ERT) intruduced to ACE.
1978: Fire destroys the {Ghost Train} ride at Luna Park,
Sydney, Australia. Seven people died in the tragedy.
1980: A sculpture commemorating Chicago's Riverview Park was
unveiled at the site of the now-defunct park.
1991: "Black Sunday" at Kings Island. One (intoxicated)
woman died when she fell from the {Flight Commander}
ride; two men were electrocuted trying to fish a third
from a pond when a circulating pump malfunctioned.

June 10--
1922: LeSourdsville Lake Amusement Park, LeSourdsville, Ohio
opens. LeSourdsville is just South of Middletown, and
the park is now known as Americana.
1968: Maiden run of the Fairyland {Wildcat} coaster in
Kansas City. Designer Aurel Vaszin of NAD was
on-board.

June 11--
1888: Birth of Arthur Loof, designer of the Santa Cruz
{Giant Dipper}.
1905: Paragon Park (Nantasket Beach, MA) first opens to the
public
1978: ACE begins accepting memberships.
1989: Carousel Park opens in Buffalo, Wyoming.
1992: A five-year-old girl is thrown from the {Scenic
Railway} roller coaster at Dreamland in Margate,
England

June 12--
1905: Hotel Breakers opens, Cedar Point.
1957: Cedar Point Causeway opens.
1959: A tornado damages the ferris wheel and {Greyhound}
roller coaster at Celoron Park at Chautauqua Lake, New
York.
1976: {Texas Cyclone,} designed by Bill Cobb, opens.
1996: {Runaway Mountain} opens at Six Flags Over Texas.

June 13--
1934: Mrs. Knott began selling chicken dinners. This
eventually led to the opening of the Knott's Berry
Farm amusement park.
1968: The {Big Coaster} at Arnold's Park was damaged by a
tornado.
1990: The re-built Kentucky Kingdom opens.
1991: The Coney Island {Cyclone} was named to the New York
State Register of Historic Places.

June 14--
1930: The Pier Ballroom at Celoron Park, Chautauqua Lake,
New York was destroyed by fire.
1986: Fatal accident on the {Mindbender} coaster in the West
Edmonton Mall, Edmonton, AB. A train on this
Schwarzkopf multi-looper derailed due to an equipment
failure.
1987: Two trains on the {Orient Express} looping coaster at
Worlds of Fun, Kansas City, Missouri, collide in the
station, injuring several people.

June 15--
1941: The {Comet} opens at Forest Park Highlands, St. Louis,
Missouri.
1963: First Arrow Development log flume ride opens at Six
Flags Over Texas.
1963: Birth of actress Helen Hunt, whose screen credits
include the role of Tracy Calder in the 1977 film
{Rollercoaster}.
1982: Old Chicago, an amusement park/shopping center
combination, goes on the auction block, but there are
no bidders.
1985: The {Phoenix} (ex {Rocket}, Playland Park, San
Antonio, Texas) opens at Knoebel's Amusement Resort,
Elysburg, Pennsylvania.

June 16--
1992: Demolition of CNE {Flyer,} designed by Davis & Mckee,
begins (continues through June 19, 1992).

June 17--
1971: Disneyland in Anaheim, California greets it's
1975: United States Patent #3,889,605, "Amusement Ride with
a Track Portion Following the Shape of a Helix"
granted to Karl W. Bacon and assigned to Arrow
Development Corp. for the Corkscrew coaster.
1987: Fair Park, Nashville, Tennessee, is auctioned.
1987: A woman is killed on the {Lightnin' Loops} roller
coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure. That coaster is
now the {Python} at Adventure World.

June 18--
1890: Fairview Park opens in Indianapolis, Indiana.
1936: Boblo Island steamer {Tashmoo} hits a rock, makes for
Amhertsberg, and sinks.

June 19--
1960: Freedomland, a 201-acre American History theme park,
opens in the Bronx, New York.
1968: The {Wildcat} at Fairyland in Kansas City opens to the
public.
1975: Fire destroys the {Ghost Ship} dark ride (former dance
pavilion) at Kennywood Park, West Mifflin,
Pennsylvania. The fire broke out at 12:15 pm and
damaged several nearby rides.
[New!] 1998: {Twisted Sisters}, the intertwined pair of wooden
roller coasters, open at Kentucky Kingdom, Louisville,
Kentucky.

June 20--
1898: First Bob-Lo Island excursion.
1991: Frontier Fun Park opens in Cherokee, North Carolina.
[New!] 1998: Nashville Shores waterpark opens in Hermitage,
Tennessee.

June 21--
1886: Coney Island, California, Ohio (near Cincinnati)
opens.
1893: The 250' tall Ferris Wheel opens at the World's
Columbian Exposition, Chicago, Illinois. The Wheel
had 36 tubs, each one seating 40 passengers.

June 22--
1895: Euclid Beach first opens.
1906: The old Casino at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is
destroyed by fire.
1907: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Casino opens
[New!] 1998: Kentucky Kingdom, Louisville, Kentucky, suddenly
becomes Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom.

June 23--
1931: Workmen begin the destruction of Luna Park, Cleveland,
Ohio, starting with the ballroom. Within a month,
most of the park is gone.
1989: Upper Clements Family Theme Park opens in
Clementsport, Nova Scotia. Included among the rides
is the {Tree Topper,} Bill Cobb's last wooden roller
coaster.

June 24--
1941: Coaster designer and inventor John A. Miller dies at
age 66.
1983: {Riverside Cyclone} (Bill Cobb) first opens at
Riverside Park, Agawam, MA.

June 25--
1994: The (ex-Crystal Beach) {Comet,} designed by Herb
Schmeck, opens at The Great Escape, Lake George, New
York.

June 26--
1927: Coney Island Cyclone, designed by Vernon Keenan,
opens.
1982: Calaway Park opens in Calgary, Alberta.
1991: The Coney Island {Cyclone} is officially designated a
National historic Landmark.

June 28--
1922: Sunnyside Amusement Park opens in Toronto, Ontario.

June 29--
1985: Middle Country USA opened in Thorntown, Indiana. The
park is now known as Old Indiana Fun Park.
1994: The {Pepsi Max Big One} officially opens at Blackpool
Pleasure Beach.
1994: Richard Rodriguez completes his twenty-third day of
continuous riding on the {Big Dipper} at Blackpool
Pleasure Beach, an event coinciding with the Official
Opening of the {Pepsi Max Big One}.

June 30--
1977: A tornado strikes Cedar Point, damaging structures and
trees in Frontiertown, and taking out a few trees on
the future {Gemini} site.
1978: First CoasterMania opens at Cedar Point. Runs through
July 2, 1978.
1995: A fourteen-year-old girl died from a massive head
injury caused by a twenty-five foot fall from the
Timber Wolf roller coaster at Worlds of Fun, Kansas
City, Missouri. She was reported to have been
standing or kneeling at the time of the accident.

---- July ----

July 1--
1974: Great Adventure Amusement Park opens in Jackson, New
Jersey.
1981: Paradise Lake opens near Middlebourne, Ohio. The park
operated for only two seasons.
1986: Death of Norm Scott, president of Arrow Dynamics, Inc.

July 2--
1892: Rittersville Park (also known as Central Park) opens
to the public at a location between Allentown and
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
1904: Riverview Park opens in Chicago, Illinois.
1927: Revere Beach {Lightning,} one of the notorious Traver
Cyclone triplets, first opens in Revere Beach,
Massachusets.
1988: Lakemont Park re-opens as Lakemont Park after two
seasons as Boyertown USA.

July 3--
1861: William E. Sullivan, founder of the Eli Bridge
Company, is born near Roodhouse, Illinois.
1897: Squaw Creek Park (also known as Avon Park) opens in
Youngstown, Ohio.
1919: The 75' x 180' {Crystal Pool} opens to swimmers at
Summit Beach Park, Akron, Ohio.
1927: Yvonne Salais is killed (either thrown out or jumped)
by the Revere Beach {Lightning}.
1975: Coney Island {Cyclone,} designed by Vernon Keenan,
re-opens.
1989: At an amusement park in Santa Clara, California, a
nine-year-old boy was crushed to death when he tried
to jump out of a log-flume boat he was riding in, and
became wedged under the boat instead.
[New!] 1998: {Supreme Scream}, a 3-tower Turbo Drop ride from S&S
Sports Power, opens at Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park,
California.

July 4--
1895: Sea Lion Park opens, Coney Island.
1906: Dellwood Park opens in Joliet, Illinois.
1911: {Race Thru The Clouds} opens in Venice, California.
At the time, it was the world's largest racing
coaster.
1913: The {Lightning Racer} opens at Redondo Beach,
California.
1917: Summit Beach Park, Akron, Ohio, opens to the public.
1925: The {Giant Dipper} opens at Belmont Park/Mission Beach
in San Diego, California. This Prior &
Church-designed coaster is the only surviving example
of the Prior & Church {Bobs} coaster.
1926: Knoebel's Amusement Resort opens in Elysburg,
Pennsylvania.
1976: Libertyland opens in Memphis, Tennessee.
1978: The {Tornado} roller coaster opens at Adventureland
near Des Moines, Iowa.
1984: The ill-fated Six Flags Autoworld opens in Flint,
Michigan.
1986: The Lake Compounce {Wildcat} re-opens after a major
overhaul (supervised by Charles Dinn) and a change in
ownership to HERCO.
1997: {Skloosh!}, a Hopkins Shoot-The-Chute ride, opens at
Knoebel's Amusement Resort.

July 6--
1960: Demolition of the {Sky Ride} coaster begins at Summit
Beach Park, Akron, Ohio. The coaster had stood idle
for nearly two years.
1967: Equipment from Lakeside Park, Dayton, Ohio auctioned.

July 7--
1918: Fatal accident on the {Over The Top} coaster at Summit
Beach Park (Akron, Ohio) kills four riders; injures
eleven more.
1984: A woman dies in a fall from the {Rail Blazer} roller
coaster at Six Flags over Mid America.
1994: A computer failure allows two trains on the {Pepsi Max
Big One} to collide near the station at Blackpool
Pleasure Beach. A number of passengers suffered
injuries, mostly minor, but no one was killed.

July 8--
1924: Birth of ride designer Anton Schwarzkopf.

July 9--
1958: Death of Fred Pearce, park and coaster designer, in a
fall from a ride catwalk. Pearce pioneered the use of
creosoted treated lumber in the construction of wood
coasters. His coasters included the Springlake Park
{Radio Streak} and the Summit Beach {Dixie Flyer,}
both in Akron, Ohio.
1996: Time Warner, Inc. announces plans to build a Six Flags
theme park in North Stonington, Connecticut, on the
Connecticut-Rhode Island border.

July 10--
1985: The {Z-Force} roller coaster, an Intamin {Space Diver}
model, opens at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee,
Illinois.

July 11--
1969: The {Timber Mountain Log Ride} opens at Knott's Berry
Farm.
1984: A three-day auction of Rocky Springs Amusement Park
begins in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
1984: ACE convention begins at Crystal Beach, Ontario.

July 12--
1898: Midway Park opens in Maple Springs, New York.
1992: A fire tore through the remains of Lincoln Park, N.
Dartmouth, Massachusets. The {Comet} roller coaster,
a band shell, and a gift-shop building were reported
to be the only survivors.

July 13--
1993: Eight people suffered minor injuries when two sets of
cars on the {Demon} roller coaster collided at Six
Flags Great America, Gurnee, Illinois. The accident
happened in the station just before 7:25pm; the speed
of the moving train was about 3 mph.

July 14--
1990: ACE first Preservation Weekend at Conneaut Lake and
Lakemont Park.

July 15--
1886: Lake Park (now Lagoon Park) opened in Farmington,
Utah.
1904: Fatal accident on the {Loop-The-Loop} at Celoron Park,
Chautauqua Lake, New York. Two riders fell from the
car on this early looping coaster when it rolled back
out of the loop. One of the victims died two days
later; the fate of the other is not known. A third
rider was able to hold on and stayed with the car.
1950: Summit Beach Park (Akron, Ohio) Ballroom destroyed by
fire.
1990: Kings Island greets its 50-millionth guest.
1995: {EuroStar}, Oscar Bruch's Intamin portable inverted
looping coaster, fails to open on-time.

July 17--
1937: The {Ice Drome} opens at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
Designed by Joe Emberton, the {Ice Drome} replaced the
1909 roller-skating rink.
1955: Disneyland in Anaheim, California opens.
1991: The {Ultimate} opened at Lightwater Valley in England,
as the World's Longest Roller Coaster with 7,524 feet
of track.

July 18--
1990: Fun City Amusement Park, Cheyenne, Wyoming auctioned.
1992: {Jupiter,} designed by Summers & Intamin, opens in
Kijima, Japan. {Jupiter} is Japan's first wooden
coaster.

July 19--
1902: Schlitz Park opens in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

July 20--
1817: The first double, circular racing slide opened in
Paris.
1963: Most of Forest Park Highlands, St. Louis, Missouri,
burns to the ground.
1985: {Le Monstre,} a dual-tracked wooden coaster, opens at
La Ronde, in Montreal, Quebec.
1985: A Superior Court jury in Tom's River, New Jersey
cleared Great Adventure, Inc. and Six Flags Corp. of
all charges brought in the aftermath of the May 11,
1984 {Haunted Castle} fire at Six Flags Great
Adventure, Jackson, New Jersey.
1995: {EuroStar}, German showman Oscar Bruch's portable
inverted looping coaster (Werner Stengel/Oscar
Bruch/Intamin AG) finally opens in Dusseldorf, at the
Schuetzenfest.

July 21--
1954: Groundbreaking for Disneyland in Anaheim, California.
1991: A teenage boy is killed and two girls are injured at
the Myrtle Beach Pavilion Amusement Park when the
Ferris wheel seat they are riding in tips over. The
trio was rocking the seat.

July 22--
1992: Cedar Fair L.P. purchases Dorney Park and Wildwater
Kingdon for $48,000,000.
1994: {Zach's Zoomer} opens at Michigan's Adventure. The
coaster was constructed by Custom Coasters
International, and named after the owner's
two-year-old son.

July 23--
1894: Disassembly of the Ferris Wheel from the World's
Columbian Exposition completed.

July 25--
1850: Britain's Vauxhall Gardens closes. This was one of
the earliest pleasure gardens, and was influential in
defining the concept of what we know as an amusement
park.

July 27--
[New!] 1998: After more than a year of delays, the {Typhoon}
compact looping coaster from Top Fun finally opens at
Santa's Village, East Dundee, Illinois.

July 28--
1907: Steeplechase Park fire. George Tilyou posts his famous
sign about it: {<To enquiring friends:> I have
troubles today that I had not yesterday. I had
troubles yesterday which I have not today. On this
site will be built a bigger, better, Steeplechase
Park. Admission to the burning ruins -- Ten cents.}
1907: The {Drop The Dip Railway} at Coney Island was
destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt and continued to
operate.
1934: Streetcar service to Summit Beach Park (Akron, Ohio)
ends.

July 29--
1953: Death of Bob Ingersoll, operator of Lake Contrary
Park, St. Joseph, Missouri.
1974: "America Sings" attraction opens at Disneyland in
Anaheim, California.

---- August ----

August 1--
1895: The lift cable on an early Shoot-The-Chute ride in
Chicago breaks, causing the boat to slide back down
the lift and into the station where it injures 14
people. Four of the victims die from their injuries.

August 2--
1992: A man riding the {Mean Streak} at Cedar Point had his
right hand outside the train as it entered the
station. His hand was nearly severed when it was
caught between the train and the station platform.
1997: A 45-year-old ride operator was killed when she
accidentally stepped off of the 3-story platform of
the {Sidewinder} (Arrow shuttle loop) coaster at
Elitch Gardens, Denver, Colorado.

August 3--
1911: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk takes delivery of a new
Loof carousel.
1946: Santa Claus Land (now Holiday World) first opens in
Santa Claus, Indiana.
[New!] 1998: {Volcano: The Blast Coaster}, the first suspended
roller coaster to be launched by linear induction
motors, opened at Paramount's Kings Dominion, Doswell,
Virginia, after a two-month delay.

August 4--
1961: Six Flags Over Texas opens.

August 5--
1929: Last performance at the Lakemont Park Playhouse,
Altoona, Pennsylvania.

August 7--
1954: Trolley service to Lakemont Park ends.
[New!] 1998: The {Doo Wopper}, a prototype Wild Mouse style coaster
from Zamperla, opens at Morey's Piers, Wildwood, New
Jersey

August 8--
1929: Fire destroys the stadium at <Luna Park>, Cleveland,
Ohio.

August 9--
1995: The {Antelope} at Gulliver's World carries its first
trainload of passengers.

August 10--
1816: The {Russian Mountain,} the first slide to use wheeled
sleds, opened in Paris, France.
1997: A veteran maintenance worker at AstroWorld (Houston,
Texas) was killed while working on the track of the
{Excalibur} Runaway Train when he was struck by an
empty train.

August 11--
1990: The restored Belmont Park {Giant Dipper} roller
coaster re-opens.
1991: A teenager dies on the ferris wheel at Fantasy Island
in New York.
1992: Knott's Camp Snoopy and {Ripsaw,} designed by Zierer,
open in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.

1996: A miniature train de-rails at Old Indiana Fun Park in
Thorntown, Indiana. One woman is killed; other riders
are injured, and the State of Indiana orders the
park's rides closed for up to 90 days for
reinspection.

August 12--
1995: The all-standing Dentzel carousel at Riverside Park in
Logansport, Indiana re-opens in its new building.

August 13--
1991: Lakeside Park, Royersford, Pennsylvania, is auctioned.

August 14--
1987: ACE holds Summercon '87 at Coney Island, Lake
Compounce, Rye Playland, and (defunct) Mountain Park.

August 15--
1843: Tivoli Gardens opens in Copenhagen, Denmark.
1892: Exposition Park opens at Conneaut Lake.
1982: The {LaSalle's Riverboat Adventure} ride at Six Flags
over Texas closes.
1987: The Schwarzkopf {Mindbender} at the West Edmondton
Mall re-opens fourteen months after a fatal accident
and many modifications.

August 16--
1933: A parachutist fell to her death at Idlewild Park,
Ligonier, Pennsylvania, when the balloon she was
riding in collapsed.
1981: An employee at Six Flags Great Adventure is killed
when he falls from {Rolling Thunder} during a morning
test ride.

August 17--
1893: First picnic held at Lakemont Park, Altoona,
Pennsylvania.
1979: Death of John Allen (1907-1979).

August 18--
1997: Joseph L. Barnes dies at the age of 82. He was the
owner and operator of Willow Grove Park and Woodside
Park.
[New!] 1998: Santa's Village, Skyforest, California, is auctioned.

August 19--
1925: Fatality on the {Thunderbolt} at Coney Island.

August 20--
[New!] 1998: The {Mamba} roller coaster gives its 1,000,000th ride
at Worlds of Fun, Kansas City, Missouri.

August 21--
1993: Restored car #1 of {Leap the Dips} presented to
Lakemont Park by ACE and PTC.
1996: Death of Bob Moegerle, owner of Playland Park, Akron,
Ohio. Moegerle was 68.

August 23--
1902: Canobie Lake Park (Salem, NH) first opens.
1904: Ingersoll Amusement Company incorporated to build Luna
Parks in Cleveland, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1916: Much of Luna Park, Scranton, Pennsylvania, was
destroyed by fire. Although it was re-built, the park
soon closed.
1988: An employee fell to his death on the {Cyclone} at
Coney Island. Witnesses said that he stood up and
fell during the first drop.
1993: {Canyon Blaster,} designed by Arrow Dynamics, opens at
Grand Slam Canyon.

August 24--
1988: Rocky Glen Park, Moosic, Pennsylvania, is auctioned.
1996: Jennifer Coleman is awarded $775,000 for an injury
sustained on July 13, 1993 when she was riding the
{Demon} roller coaster at Six Flags Great America.
The collision jolted her resulting in {aqueductal
stenosis}, a brain condition which results in fluid
accumulation due to a blocked duct.

August 25--
1990: ACE celebrates National Coaster Day.

August 26--
1953: The {Flyer} (Joe McKee) opens at the Canadian National
Exposition (CNE). The {Flyer} was demolished in 1992.

1984: Beech Bend Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky closes.

August 27--
1984: A two-day auction of Beech Bend Park begins in Bowling
Green, Kentucky.
1997: The train on the {Scirocco} shuttle loop (Schwarzkopf)
at Walibi Wavre (Wavre, Belgium) suffers a mechanical
failure and gets jammed upside-down in the loop.
Passengers were left hanging from their lap bars for
about 90 minutes.

August 28--
1990: A tornado tore through Plainfield, Illinois,
destroying the auditorium building from the defunct
Electric Park. It was the last remaining building
from the park, and was being restored. Also lost was
the last surviving Chutes boat from Chicago's
Riverview Park; it had been stored at the Electric
Park site.

August 30--
1951: Birth of actor Timothy Bottoms, whose film credits
include the role of "Young Man," the
bomber/extortionist in the 1977 film {Rollercoaster}.

August 31--
1910: Glenn Curtiss flies a biplane from Euclid Beach to
Cedar Point and back, setting a new over-water
aviation distance record.

---- September ----

September 2--
1946: Crystal Beach {Cyclone} closes forever. Demolition
began on 9/16/46.

September 3--
1973: Columbia Gardens, Butte, Montana, closes after 74
years of operation.

September 4--
1967: Riverview Park closes.
1978: Ohio's Chippewa Lake Park closes. Portions of the
coaster are still standing.
1989: Crystal Beach Park closes.

September 5--
1977: West View Park closes what turns out to be its last
season.
1997: A 13-year-old boy is injured while helping his father
repair a wood coaster at Stricker's Grove (Ross,
Ohio). He was struck by a train and fell through the
track six feet to the ground.

September 6--
1970: Coney Island (OH) closes. Taft Entertainment
purchased Coney Island, constructed a new park on
higher ground, and moved many of the ride pieces to
the new location, Kings Island. Today, Coney Island
still operates as a major picnic facility.

September 7--
1916: Summit Beach Park Company incorporated.
1933: Death of Dudley Sherman Humphrey II, President of
Euclid Beach Park.
1997: Four passengers on the {American Eagle} racing coaster
at Six Flags Great America are slightly injured in a
low-speed collision on the brake run. The train
coupler failed between the second and third cars,
allowing the train to separate and cars to bump
together.
[New!] 1998: {Mr. Toad's Wild Ride} closes at Walt Disney World's
Magic Kingdom, Reedy Creek, Florida.

September 8--
1990: Long Point Park, Geneseo, NY, auctioned.

September 9--
1984: The minor collision in the station of two trains on
the {American Eagle} at Great America (Gurnee,
Illinois) sends three riders to a hospital.

September 11--
1887: {Sliding Hill and Roller Tobboggan} opens, Haverhill,
Massachusets.

September 12--
1971: The Palisades Amusement Park, located in Cliffside
Park, New Jersey, closed its gates for the last time
before becoming an apartment complex.
1990: White Swan Park, Coraopolis, PA auctioned.

September 14--
1922: Aloha Amusement Park opens, Waikiki, Hawaii.

September 15--
1964: Freedomland Park files for bankruptcy.
1968: Last day of operation for the {Cyclone Racer}
(Church/Traver) at The Pike, in Long Beach, CA.
1977: A tornado rips through Fairyland Park in Kansas City,
causing extensive damage. The park never re-opened,
but the {Wildcat} roller coaster survived. It did not
run again until it was relocated to Frontier City
(Oklahoma City) in 1991.

September 16--
1946: Crystal Beach {Cyclone,} designed by Harry Traver, is
demolished. Some parts of the legendary {Cyclone}
were used in the park's {Comet,} which today operates
at The Great Escape.
1985: Roseland Park (Canandaigua, New York) auctioned. The
{Skyliner} roller coaster ended up at Lakemont Park
(Altoona, Pennsylvania) where it still runs today.

September 20--
1964: Steeplechase Park, the last of the great Coney Island
parks, closes.
1994: King's Castle Land Amusement Park (Whitman,
Massachusets) auctioned.

September 21--
1938: A hurricane destroys several New England roller
coasters, including the {Thunderbolt} (Church/Traver,
1925) at Savin Rock (West Haven, CT).

September 22--
1988: Death of George W. Long, owner of Seabreeze Park
(Rochester, New York).

September 24--
1993: Michael Moodenbaugh, owner of Boblo Island, critically
injured in traffic accident.

September 25--
1925: Euclid Beach {Racing Derby} struck by lightning.
1960: Sen. John F. Kennedy and Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson make a
campaign stop at Euclid Beach Park.
1995: Fire destroys a maintenance building at Williams
Grove, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The {Cyclone}
suffered roughly $15,000 damage.

September 26--
1961: Death of Harry G. Traver, influential wood coaster
designer and builder, best known for the {Cyclone}
triplets at Palisades Park, Crystal Beach, and Revere
Beach.
1981: Rides and equipment from Edgewater Park (Detroit,
Michigan) are auctioned.
1984: Hanson's Park, Harvey's Lake, Pennsylvania is
auctioned.
1993: Final operating day for Boblo Island, Amhertsburg, ON.

September 27--
1929: Birth of Curtis D. Summers (1929-1992), influential
wood coaster designer responsible for {Hercules, Texas
Giant, Mean Streak,} and a number of other major wood
coasters of the 1980's and 1990's.
1939: The {Indian Theatre} at Blackpool Pleasure Beach
catches fire and burns to the ground. Firefighters
are able to prevent the blaze from spreading to the
nearby {Big Dipper}.

September 28--
1969: Euclid Beach Park closes.
1983: A fire at Dorney Park (Allentown, Pennsylvania)
destroys PTC Carousel #38 and several other rides and
buildings.

September 29--
[New!] 1998: In response to a fatal carnival accident (March 19,
1998), a Travis County, Texas grand jury returns nine
murder indictments. It is the first time murder
charges have ever been filed in a ride accident case.

September 30--
1952: The movie {This Is Cinerama,} which features footage
of the {Atom Smasher} coaster at Rockaway's Playland,
opens at the Broadway Theatre in New York.
1977: West View Park announces that it is permanently
closed.
1978: The National Amusement Park Historical Association
(NAPHA) is founded.
1993: Investor Larry Benaroya gains control of Boblo Island
in court and officially closes the park.
1996: Two trains collide on the {Eurostar}, the Intamin
transportable looping coaster, at the Munich
Oktoberfest. A block brake at the end of the ride
failed to release, causing a following train to
collide in the final trim brake.

---- October ----

October 1--
1968: United States Patent #3,403,633, "Amusement Ride",
issued to Anton Schwarzkopf for a ride we know as the
{Bayern Kurve.}
1971: Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom officially opens.
1979: Groundbreaking ceremonies for EPCOT Center at Walt
Disney World.
1982: The Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow,
better known as EPCOT, opens at Walt Disney World.
1994: Elitch Gardens original location closes;

October 2--
1989: Quassy Amusement Park (Middlebury, Connecticut) breaks
up and auctions its 1902 E. Joy Morris carousel.
1991: Death of Arnold Gurtler, Chairman of the Board for
Elitch Gardens.

October 3--
1973: West View Park Danceland destroyed by fire.

October 4--
1922: The Pippin Coaster Company signs its first concession
agreement with Luna Park Cleveland. The company's
first ride was John Miller's {Pippin}. Within a few
years, the company agreed to operate two other rides
as well.
1935: Luna Park (Sydney, Australia) opens.

October 5--
1988: Noble Park Funland, Paducah, Kentucky, is auctioned.
The Pinfari Zyklon coaster ended up at Americana
Amusement Park in Middletown, Ohio.

October 6--
1846: Thousands of people gather near Bristol, Connecticut
to witness the failure of a scientific demonstration.
The turnout inspires Gad Norton to open the area to
the public as a picnic park called Lake Compounce.

October 7--
1991: Groundbreaking for the MGM Grand Hotel and Theme Park
in Las Vegas, Nevada.

October 8--
1992: The rides at Conneaut Lake Park are auctioned. A
group of local investors is able to purchase most of
the rides to keep them at the park.

October 11--
1984: Dispensa's Kiddie Kingdom, Oakbrook Illinois is
auctioned.

October 12--
1990: ACE holds the 1990 Fall Conference at Belmont Park in
San Diego, California, and at Magic Mountain in
Valencia, California.

October 15--
1990: PTC carousel #18, previously at Roseland Park, reopens
in its new home in the Carousel Center Mall, Syracuse,
New York.

October 16--
1982: Olympic Park, Rochester, New York, is auctioned.

October 17--
1983: One person is killed and two others are injured when a
tub breaks free from an Enterprise ride and falls to
the ground at the Texas State Fair in Dallas.
1986: Vice-President George Bush visits Boyertown, USA (now
Lakemont Park), Altoona, Pennsylvania.
1989: The rides from Crystal Beach Amusement Park are
auctioned. The {Comet} roller coaster eventually
ended up at the Great Escape Fun Park, in Lake George,
New York.

October 18--
1983: Paradise Lake Amusement Park, near Middlebourne, Ohio,
is auctioned.

October 19--
1991: Enchanted Forest, Chesterton, Indiana, is auctioned.

October 20--
1984: A two-day auction begins to sell off Idora Park,
Youngstown, Ohio.

October 21--
1979: Walt Disney World (Lake Buena Vista, Florida) greets
its 100-millionth guest.

October 23--
1863: Birth of Theodore Marshall (T. M.) Harton, early
coaster builder and founder of West View Park.
1894: Euclid Beach Park Co. incorporated.
1982: Holiday Beach, Douglas, Georgia is auctioned.

October 26--
1985: Playland Park (Wasaga Beach, Ontario) is auctioned.

October 28--
1981: Rides from Rocky Springs Amusement Park (Lancaster,
Pennsylvania) are auctioned.

October 30--
1893: The World's Columbian Exposition officially closes in
Chicago, Illinois.

October 31--
1878: Birth of Fred Church, influential coaster
1934: Chicago's {Century of Progress} exposition closes.

---- November ----

November 1--
1989: Vollmar's Park (Bowling Green, Ohio) auctions off its
rides. The park continues to operate as a picnic
park, with rides brought in by a concessionaire.

November 3--
1920: Construction begins on the {Pippin} roller coaster at
Riverview Park (Chicago, Illinois).

November 4--
1988: ACE holds its first Fall Conference at the West
Edmonton Mall.

November 6--
1990: A large portion of the backlot at Universal Studios
Hollywood is destroyed by fire.
1991: Fantasy Farm Amusement Park (Middletown, Ohio) is
auctioned.

November 7--
1899: Riverview Park...later known as Fox River Park...opens
in Aurora, Illinois.

November 10--
1978: Worlds of Fun (Kansas City, Missouri) unveils plans
for the {Timber Wolf} wooden coaster.

November 12--
1994: Fire at (closed) Rocky Glen Park seriously damages
{Comet} (Allen, 1959) coaster.

November 15--
1932: Summit Beach Park Company goes out of business after
being ordered into receivership.
1980: {Big Thunder Mountain Railroad} opens at Walt Disney
World's Magic Kingdom.

November 19--
1867: United States Patent #70,985, "Rotary Swing," granted
to Isaac N. Forrester. This is the earliest patent
for a vertical pleasure wheel (Ferris wheel).

November 22--
1896: George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., engineer and
businessman responsible for building the Ferris Wheel
at the World's Columbian Exposition, dies at the age
of 37.
1997: The first 300'-tall Skycoaster (the world's tallest
when it opened) opens at Million Dollar Mulligan's,
Kissimmee, Florida.

November 23--
1988: A 17-year-old girl was killed when the {Monster} ride
she was riding failed at the Broward County Fair in
Florida. The sweep holding the car she was riding in
snapped and fell about ten feet to the ground; she was
then struck in the back of the head by an adjacent
sweep. Six other riders were treated, mostly for
minor injuries.

November 25--
1877: Birth of Harry G. Traver (1877-1961),

November 26--
1985: The {Castle Garden} dance hall at Dorney Park
(Allentown, Pennsylvania) burns in a fire.

November 27--
1982: Funtown Amusement Park, Chicago, Illinois, is
auctioned.
1991: Tom Rebbie becomes the head of the Philadelphia
Toboggan Company, which becomes Philadelphia Toboggan
Coasters, Inc. Tom Rebbie first joined PTC in 1977;
PTC was established in 1904.

November 29--
1988: Lincoln Park, North Dartmouth, Massachusets, is
auctioned.
1992: Death of Randall Duell, park designer responsible for
layout of Six Flags over Texas, Six Flags over
Georgia, Astroworld, Darien Lake, and others.

---- December ----

December 1--
1967: Riverview Park rides auctioned off.

December 2--
1684: Chief John Compound, his wife, and tribal members
deeded the land that would eventually become Lake
Compounce Amusement Park, recognized today as the
oldest operating amusement park in America.

December 3--
1995: Frank J. Sauzer, Jr., owner of (defunct) Sauzer's
Kiddieland dies, one day before the dismantling of the
park's {Galaxie} was complete.
1981: Death of Walter Knott, founder of Knott's Berry Farm,
at the age of 91.

December 4--
1939: $3,000 awarded in settlement to the estate of Amos
Weidrich, who was killed by the Crystal Beach
{Cyclone} on 5/30/1938.
1972: Birth of Jim Serio Webmaster of the {World of
Coasters}

December 5--
1997: Texas State Highway 360 is renamed {Angus G. Wynne Jr.
Freeway} in honor of the founder of Six Flags Over
Texas.

December 6--
1980: ACE No Coaster Conference I ("Coaster Con 3-1/2").
1986: Twin Lakes Amusement Park, Paris, Illinois, was
auctioned.

December 7--
1994: Rocky Glen {Comet}, designed by John Allen in 1959, is
demolished.

December 9--
1975: Coney Island {Tornado} destroyed by fire.

December 10--
1919: Traver Engineering Company opens in Beaver Falls, PA.

December 11--
1938: The skating rink at (closed) <Luna Park>, Cleveland,
Ohio is destroyed by arsonists. It is the seventh
arson attempt on the old structure, and this time the
arsonists are successful.

December 12--
1981: Moxahala Amusement Park, Zanesville, Ohio, is
auctioned.
1984: PTC carousel #12, from Crystal Beach, Ontario, is
auctioned in pieces.

December 13--
1912: Luna Park, Melbourne, Australia, opens on the site of
the failed Dreamland Park.
1977: Another fire guts the adjacent haunted house and the
station structure of the already-damaged {Tornado} at
Coney Island.

December 14--
1981: Dreamworld, Gold Coast, Australia, opens.
1985: The carousel from Paragon Park, Hull, Massachusets, is
bought at auction by a group of local businessmen for
$598,800.

December 16--
1966: Death of Walt Disney.
1987: Severe weather forces a rare, unscheduled closure of
three southern California parks: Knott's Berry Farm,
Disneyland, and Universal Studios.
1991: Fire destroys the Fun House at Blackpool Pleasure
Beach in England.
1997: Premier Parks announces that it will become the
majority owner of the Brussels, Belgium based {Walibi}
theme park group.
1997: Death of Lillian (Mrs. Walt) Disney.

December 17--
1963: United States Patent #3,114,332, "Bobsled Amusement
Ride," issued to Karl Bacon and Edgar Morgan and
assigned to Walt Disney Productions. The vehicle
described in this patent is the standard Arrow Runaway
Train, still used for all Arrow non-looping
non-suspended coasters.
1990: Death of Bill Cobb (1917-1990), designer of several
major wooden coasters of the 1970's-1980's.
1993: {La Montana Rusa,} designed by NAD, re-opens as
{Serpiente de Fuego,} designed by NAD & CCI, at Bosque
de Chapultpec which re-opens as La Feria.

December 19--
1993: The controversial Splendid China Park opens in
Kissimmee, Florida.

December 20--
1971: Death of Roy E. Disney.

December 25--
1985: {Cannonball Run,} a Galaxie coaster, opens as the
largest roller coaster in New Zealand.
1989: Esselworld, Gorai Island, India opens.

December 26--
1914: Birth of actor Richard Widmark, who has appeared in
more than 70 films. Of particular interest is his
performance as Agent Hoyt in the 1977 film
{Rollercoaster}.
1978: Carol Florez, 5'3" tall and weighing 253 pounds, is
fatally ejected from the third drop of the {Colossus}
racing coaster at Magic Mountain, Valencia,
California.

December 27--
1971: Former Euclid Beach Suprise House burned.
1973: Death of Irving Rosenthal, last owner of Palisades
Park (Fort Lee, New Jersey).

December 28--
1993: Patent #5,272,984, "Amusement Ride of the Roller
Coaster Type", granted to Walter Bolliger & Claude
Mabillard for the inverted coaster design.

December 31--
1989: Two carousel horses are stolen from Idlewild Park,
Ligonier, Pennsylvania. The horses were later
recovered.

======================================================================

Send additions or corrections to Dave Althoff, Jr.
(dalt...@capital.edu or dal...@freenet.columbus.oh.us)

Many thanks to Alan Baldwin for making an HTML version of this Almanac
available as part of the World Wide Guide to Roller Coasters, Parks,
and Rides (http://www.demon.co.uk/arvis/wwg).

Thanks as well to Jim Serio for hosting another HTML version at the
World of Coasters (http://www.rollercoaster.com).

Visit the Roller Coaster Almanac on the World Wide Web at

http://www.rollercoaster.com/almanac
and at...
http://www.demon.co.uk/arvis/wwg/almanac/dal.html

Copr. 1998, Dave Althoff, Jr.
HTML version copr. 1996, 1998, World of Coasters
copr. 1997, WWG/Alan Baldwin

--
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