This Day in History: The tallest roller coaster in the world, Kingda Ka opened on this day in 2005 at Six Flags in Jackson Township, New Jersey. This roller coaster reaches 456 feet and accelerates at speeds of 128 miles per hour in only 3.5 seconds, it was designed to be one of the world’s most dangerous roller coasters.
The oldest roller coasters are believed to have originated from the so-called "Russian Mountains", specially constructed hills of ice located in the area that is now Saint Petersburg, Russia. Built in the 17th century, the slides were built to a height of between 70 and 80 feet, had a 50-degree drop, and were reinforced by wooden supports. Later, in 1784, Catherine the Great is said to have constructed a sledding hill in the gardens of her palace at Oranienbaum in St. Petersburg.
The first modern roller coaster, the Promenades Aériennes, opened in Parc Beaujon in Paris on July 8, 1817. It featured wheeled cars securely locked to the track, guide rails to keep them on course, and higher speeds. It spawned half a dozen imitators, but their popularity soon declined.
However, during the Belle Epoque they returned to fashion. In 1887, Spanish entrepreneur Joseph Oller, co-founder of the Moulin Rouge music hall, constructed the Montagnes Russes de Belleville, "Russian Mountains of Belleville" with 656 feet of track laid out in a double-eight, later enlarged to four figure-eight-shaped loops.
Between 1994 and 2004 22 people were killed on American roller coasters.
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