An * denoted recently added terms.

1400's: The first Russian Mountains appear.

1600's: First rides in France.

1817: The first wheeled rides are built in Paris.

*1840's: The first looping coaster is built in Britain and exported to the Frascati Gardens in Paris. The loop has a 13-foot diameter and is at the base of a 43-foot tall drop.

1873: The Mauch Chunk Railroad, Pennsylvania, USA becomes the first ride to utilise a complete circuit.

1884: The first switchback railway, the Switchback at Coney Island, New York - is opened. This proved that the general public would pay for the experience of riding in a car down a wooden track.

1884: A few months later, the first switchback railway specifically built for amusement with a complete circuit was also opened at Coney Island.

1885: The first switchback railway to use a chain lift opens in San Francisco, California, USA.

1887: The first scenic railway opens in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA.

1887: The first ride with a figure-8 design opens at Haverhill, Massachusetts, USA.

1891: The first switchback railway in Europe opens in Blackpool, England.

1891: The first ride with a vertical loop is built. Due to excessive G forces it closes soon afterwards.

1902: The oldest ride currently operating, the Leap-the-Dips at Lakemont Park, Pennsylvania, USA, opens.

1907: The Drop-the-Dips ride opens, with the first use of a lapbar restraint.

1919: The Jack Rabbit at Clementon, New Jersey opens. It is the oldest ride still operating in its original location.

1923: The Big Dipper at Blackpool opens.

1924: The Pippin opens at Kennywood, Pennsylvania, USA. It is now called the Thunderbolt.

1924: The Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz, California opens. It is still operating.

1925: The Cyclone at Revere Beach, Massachusetts opens. Due to low patronage, it soon closes.

1925: The Giant Dipper opens at Belmont Park, San Diego, California. It is still operating.

1927: The Lightening at Revere Beach opens, only to close again a few years later due to its horrific accident rate and low patronage.

1927: The fabled Coney Island Cyclone opens in New York.

1927: The Racer opens at Kennywood. The first coaster with a mobius track layout.

1929: The Wall Street Crash. This marks the end of the first Golden Age of coasters.

1935: Grand National opens in Blackpool. Second mobius track layout.

1939: Texas Tornado at Frontierland, Morecambe, England opens. It has now sadly been dismantled.

1947: The Phoenix opens at Joyland Park in San Antonio, Texas, USA. It is now located at Knoebels, Pennsylvania.

1948: The Crystal Beach Comet opens. It is now at Lake George, New York.

1953: The first major roller coaster opens in Japan. Made by TOGO, it is still operating.

1955: Disneyland opens in California. This begins to stir the public's interest in theme parks again.

1959: The Matterhorn opens at Disneyland. This is the first coaster to use steel track.

1964: Mr Twister opens at Elitch Gardens, Denver, Colorado, USA.

1964: Serpent of Fire opens at La Feria Chapultepec Magico, Mexico City, Mexico. The first coaster to achieve a height of 100 feet, it was the tallest ride in the world for over 10 years, and also the third coaster with a mobius track. There are still only three in the world.

1968: The first of the successful Jet Star coasters by Schwarzkopf opens, at Spreepark in Germany.

1972: The second golden age of coasters begins with the opening of the Racer at Paramount Kings Island, Ohio, USA.

1975: The first corkscrew roller coaster opens at Knotts Berry Farm, Buena Park, California, USA. It is now located at Silverwood Theme Park, Athol, Idaho, USA.

1976: Revolution, the first coaster to successfully feature a vertical loop opens at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, California.

1977: First shuttle loop opens at Paramount Kings Dominion, Doswell, Virginia, USA. It was dismantled in 1986, but then appeared at Alton Towers in England briefly in the early 1990's. It is now located at Hopi Hari, Sao Paolo, Brazil.

1978: Revolution opens in Blackpool, the first ride in Europe with an inversion.

1978: The first ride containing three inversions opens at Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio, USA.

1979: The Beast, the longest wooden coaster in the world at 7400 feet, opens at Kings Island.

1979: The first coaster on mainland Europe with an inversion opens - the Superwirbel at Holiday Park in Germany.

1980: Corkscrew opens at Alton Towers, England, the first coaster in the park. It also marks the beginning of the UK theme park boom.

1980: The first coaster to feature a boomerang inversion element opens, the Orient Express at Worlds of Fun, Kansas City, Missouri.

1981: The first suspended roller coaster, the Bat, opens at Kings Island. It is now dismantled.

*1982: The first five inversion coaster opens, the Viper at Six Flags Darien Lake, Darien Center, New York, USA.

1982: The first of Vekoma's boomerang coasters is built at Reino Aventura, Mexico City, Mexico. This is also the first ride with six inversions.

1982: The world's first stand-up roller coaster opens in Japan.

1985: The re-built Phoenix opens at Knoebels, Elysburg, Pennsylvania.

1987: Vortex, the first continuous circuit ride with six inversions opens, at Kings Island.

1988: Shockwave at Six Flags Great America, Missouri, USA opens. The first coaster with seven inversions.

1989: Magnum XL-200 opens at Cedar Point. It is the first coaster to reach a height greater than 200 feet.

1989: Goudurix opens at Parc Asterix, Plailly, France. It is the first coaster in Europe with seven inversions.

1991: The Ultimate opens at Lightwater Valley, England. Until recently the world's longest roller coaster at 7452 feet.

1991: Steel Phantom opens at Kennywood, with the longest drop at 225 feet. It has now been reconstructed as Phantoms Revenge, but retains the drop.

1992: Batman: The Ride, the first inverted coaster, opens at Six Flags Great America. It contains five inversions.

1994: Raptor opens at Cedar Point. The first inverted coaster with six inversions.

1994: The re-built Comet opens at Lake George, New York.

1994: Nemesis opens at Alton Towers. Europe's first inverted coaster.

1994: The first of Vekoma's Suspended Looping coasters opens at Walibi Flevo, Holland.

1994: Shockwave opens at Drayton Manor, England. It is the only stand-up roller coaster in Europe.

1994: Desperado in Primm, Nevada, USA becomes the tallest coaster at 209 feet.

1994: The Pepsi Max Big One then steals this crown with a height of 235 feet.

1994: Mr. Twister is demolished when Elitch Gardens in Denver moves location.

1995: Dragon Khan opens at Port Aventura, Tarragona, Spain. It is the first ride with eight inversions.

1995: Twister II, the replacement for Mr. Twister, opens at Elitch Gardens.

1996: Fujiyama at Fujikyu Highlands, Japan, becomes the tallest coaster at 259 feet, as well as having the greatest drop at 235 feet.

1996: Megafobia opens at Oakwood Leisure Park, Wales.

1996: One of the most unusually located roller coasters opens, the High Roller atop the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. It is 1149 feet above street level.

1996: Montu opens at Busch Gardens Tampa, Tampa, Florida, USA. The first inverted coaster with seven inversions.

1997: Superman: The Escape opens at Six Flags Magic Mountain. It is the fastest roller coaster at 100mph, and also the first to utilise LIMs for propulsion.

1997: Stampida opens at Port Aventura. The first wooden racing coaster on mainland Europe.

1997: The first Vekoma Inverted Boomerang coaster - known as an Invertigo - opens at Liseberg Park in Sweden. It is called Hang-Over.

1997: Alpengeist opens at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. Currently the tallest and fastest inverted coaster at 195 ft and 67 mph.

1998: Monte Makaya opens at Terra Encantada, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The second roller coaster with eight inversions.

1998: The first vertical drop coaster, Oblivion, opens at Alton Towers.

1999: The first wooden roller coaster in South America opens, Montezum at Hopi Hari, Sao Paolo, Brazil.

2000: Goliath opens at Magic Mountain. It has the greatest drop at 255 feet.

2000: Millennium Force opens at Cedar Point, at 310 feet high. It is the first coaster with a circuit to exceed 300 feet; it also now has the greatest drop at 300 feet.

2000: Katun, the first inverted coaster on mainland Europe opens at Mirabilandia, Ravenna, Italy.

2000: The first LIM launch coaster in Europe opens, Superman the Ride at Six Flags Holland, Biddinghuizen, Holland.

2000: Son of Beast opens at Kings Island. It is the first wooden coaster since the flip flap railway to contain a vertical loop. It is also the tallest, fastest and highest dropping woodie at 218 feet, 78 mph and 204 feet. Also, due to the height, the first wooden hypercoaster.

2000: The first flying coaster, Stealth, opens at Paramounts Great America, Santa Clara, California, USA.

2000: Steel Dragon opens at Nagashima Spaland, Nagashima, Japan, and sets four new records. The tallest at 318 feet, the longest at 8133 feet, the fastest circuit coaster at 95 mph as well as the one with the greatest drop: 307 feet.

2001: Hypersonic XLC, the first air-powered roller coaster, opens at Paramount King Dominion, Doswell, Virginia, USA.

Submitted by: Andy Rathe