On August 16, 1898, Edwin Prescott was granted a patent for the roller coasters' vertical loop. The roller coaster shown in the patent illustration wasn't the first to make a loop, but it was a safer, more comfortable, elliptical-shaped loop.

Prescott's Loop the Loop was unsuccessful becaus...

In the 15th century, Russians built giant, wooden slides that they covered in ice. Then they mounted on an ice block with a straw seat reaching up to 50 miles per hour.

In 1827, the Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway was built to haul coal in the morning and served as a joy ride in the afternoo...

Some roller coasters can loop-the-loop, but the loop isn't a circle itself, more like the middle of a Venn diagram. The shape and size of the loop is determent by the centripetal force - the force that keeps you from falling out of the roller coaster while it's upside down.

In 1884, Phillip...

• The tallest: Kingda Ka roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, is 465 feet high and goes from zero to 128 miles per hour in only 3.5 seconds, then up the rails 45 stories high at a 90-degree angle.
• The fastest: The Formula...

Some people enjoy the thrill of roller coasters. One reason is because of higher levels of dopamine - neurotransmitters associated with reward. Another study found that higher levels of endorphins lead to increased feelings of excitement.

Ron Toomer, one of the most famous roller coaster de...

The Leap-The-Dips in Altoona, Pennsylvania, is the oldest working roller coaster. It was built in 1902, goes ten miles an hour and doesn't have seatbelts, lap bars or headrests.

The roller coasters of the future promises cars that rotate and roller coaster-water slide mashups. Disney applie...