Roller coasters are amusement rides developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. During the 16th and 17th centuries, rides consisting of wooden sleds that took riders down large slides made from ice were popular in Russia. The first roller coasters, where the train was attached to a wooden track, first appeared in France in the early 1800s. Although wooden roller coasters are still being produced, steel roller coasters are more common and can be found on every continent except Antarctica.
Ranked by height, speed, length, inversions, and steepness, roller coasters are also rated through public opinion polls. Amusement parks often compete to build the tallest, fastest, and longest rides to attract thrill seekers and boost overall park attendance. However, many records do not usually last long. When Magnum XL-200 opened in 1989, it began a new era of roller coasters and increased competition among parks to set new world records. The Magnum XLâ€"200 was the first complete-circuit roller coaster built over 200 feet (61 m). Other notable roller coasters include Formula Rossa which reaches a top speed of 149 miles per hour (240 km/h), Kingda Ka which stands at 456 feet (139 m) tall, and Steel Dragon 2000 which measures 8,133 feet (2,479 m) in length.
Key
TOP 10 Tallest Roller Coasters in the USA 2016 HD - The 10 tallest Roller Coasters in the USA according to RCDB (Roller Coaster Data Base) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...
Height rankings
Tallest steel roller coasters
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Longest steel roller coaster drops
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Tallest wooden roller coasters
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Longest wooden roller coaster drops
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Speed rankings
Fastest steel roller coasters
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Fastest wooden roller coasters
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Length rankings
Longest steel roller coasters
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Longest wooden roller coasters
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Inversion rankings
This listing contains all types of roller coaster inversions.
Steel roller coasters
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Wooden roller coasters
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Notes
References
External links
- Roller coaster census at the Roller Coaster DataBase
- Top 100 roller coasters on CoasterBuzz