List of amusement rides

Summary

Amusement rides, sometimes called carnival rides, are mechanical devices or structures that move people to create fun and enjoyment.

Early pleasure wheel in Russia, 1807

Rides are often perceived by many as being scary or more dangerous than they actually are. This could be due to the design, having acrophobia, or from hearing about accidents involving rides that are similar.[1] For some, the adrenaline associated with riding amusement rides is part of the experience.[2]

They are common at most annual events such as fairs, traveling carnivals, and circuses around the world. Sometimes music festivals and concerts also host amusement park rides.

Types of rides edit

  • Flat rides are usually those that move their passengers on a plane generally parallel to the ground, such as rides that spin around a vertical axis, like carousels and [[twist (ride))|twist]]s; and ground-level rides such as bumper cars.[3][4]
  • In gravity rides, gravity is responsible for all or some of the movement where any vertical movement is not about a fixed point, such as roller coasters, water slides and drop towers.[3]
  • Vertical rides usually move their passengers in a vertical plane and around a fixed point, such as Ferris wheels, Enterprise and Skydiver.[3]
  • As of the 2010s, some rides employ virtual reality.

Specific themes edit

List of amusement rides edit

Year Name(s) Image Type Notes
1954 Ali Baba   Pendulum ride The Ali Baba is a type of amusement ride consisting of a stationary horizontal gondola with a 360 degree swinging pendulum.
1961 Alpine slide   A summer toboggan is an amusement or recreational ride which uses a bobsled-like sled or cart to run down a track usually built on the side of a hill. There are two main types: an Alpine coaster or mountain coaster is a type of roller coaster where the sled runs on rails and is not able to leave the tracks, whereas with an Alpine slide the sled simply runs on a smooth concave track usually made of metal, concrete or fibreglass. Both of these types of ride are sometimes denoted with the German name Sommerrodelbahn.
1948 Balloon Race   The Zamperla Balloon Race is a tilting, circular motion amusement park ride manufactured by Antonio Zamperla S.p.A. The ride makes its way up a structure, and at a certain height, it starts tilting.
1965 Bayern Kurve   The Bayern Kurve is a roller coaster like amusement ride that moves a train around a banked circular track, gaining speed as the ride progresses. It is made in both a portable and park model and originally debuted in 1965. It was invented by German engineer Anton Schwarzkopf.
1952 Booster (Fabbri)   Pendulum ride Booster in an amusement ride made by Fabbri.
1998 Booster (HUSS)   The Booster is an amusement park ride made originally by HUSS Maschinenfabrik starting in 1998.
1985 Breakdance   Breakdance is an amusement ride designed by Huss Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG in 1985.
1972 Bumper boats   Water ride Bumper boats are an amusement park ride that uses inner tube shaped watercraft that can be steered by the rider. Some are driven by electric motors, some by gasoline engines, and some require the rider to propel the craft by pedaling. Most are equipped with water guns for duels with other riders. Bumper boat attractions can commonly be found in places such as amusement parks, carnivals, fairs, family fun centers, and theme parks.
1920s Bumper cars   Dodgems Bumper cars or dodgems are the generic names for a type of flat amusement ride consisting of multiple small electrically powered cars which draw power from the floor or ceiling, and which are turned on and off remotely by an operator. They are also known as bumping cars, dodging cars and dashing cars. The first patent for them was filed in 1921.
1700s Carousel   Merry-Go-Round A carousel is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The "seats" are traditionally in the form of rows of wooden horses or other animals mounted on posts, many of which are moved up and down by gears to simulate galloping, to the accompaniment of looped circus music.
1925 Caterpillar   The Caterpillar ride is a vintage flat ride engineered by the inventor Hyla F. Maynes of North Tonawanda, New York, who dubbed it the Caterpillar when it debuted in Coney Island, New York in 1925. It generates a significant amount of centrifugal force, causing the riders on the inside of the seats to crush the riders on the outside of the seats. It was once found at nearly every amusement park around the United States, but is now so rare that an original Caterpillar ride can only be found operating in two parks today. Though only two Caterpillars are known to be operating, there have been reports claiming there are additional Caterpillars in storage or standing (but not operating) at a few other parks.
1954 Cliffhanger   The Cliff Hanger is an amusement park rider that is meant to simulate hang gliding.
1984 Condor   The Condor is the trade name of an amusement ride sold by HUSS of Bremen, Germany. It was debuted at the 1984 New Orleans World's Fair, under the name "Cyclo Tower".
2003 Disk'O   The Disk'O (also known as Skater or Surf's Up) is a type of flat ride manufactured by Zamperla of Italy. The ride is a larger version of a Rockin' Tug, also manufactured by Zamperla.
c.1910 Devil's wheel  
1943 Double Shot   Drop tower
1972 Enterprise  
1992 Evolution  
1893 Ferris wheel  
1946 Fireball  
1930s Flying Scooters  
1953 Freak out   Pendulum ride
1982 Freefall   Drop tower
1994 Frisbee   Pendulum ride
1954 Fun Slide  
1983 Gravitron  
1954 Gyro tower  
Hayride  
1905 Helter skelter  
1940s Hurricane  
1960s Infinity   Pendulum ride
1950s Inversion   Pendulum ride
1950s Jump and Smile  
1984 Kamikaze   Pendulum ride
1977 Kiddie ride  
1963 Log flume   Water ride
1982 Looping Starship   Pendulum ride
1952 Loop Fighter Pendulum ride
1933 Loop-O-Plane  
1933 Loop-the-Loop[5]  
1929 Madhouse   Dark ride
1926 Matterhorn  
1930s Mechanical bull  
1982 [6] Miami Trip   Thrill ride
1977 Monster  
1986 Motion simulator  
1954 Music Express  
1952 Octopus  
1926 Old Mill   Water ride
1968 Omnimover  
1976 Orbiter  
1957 Paratrooper  
c.1893 Pirate Ship   Pendulum ride
1999 Power Surge  
1983 Rainbow  
1981 Ranger   Pendulum ride
1971 Red Baron  
c.1978 Reverse bungee  
1956 River caves   Water ride
1980 River rapids ride   Water ride
1978 Rockin' Tug  
1948 Rock-O-Plane  
1974 Rockstar Pendulum ride
1700s Roller coaster   The roller coaster is an amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson obtained a patent regarding roller coasters on January 20, 1885, which were made out of wood, but this patent is considerably later than the "Russian mountains" described in the article.
2013 Rollglider   The Rollglider is a type of a thrill amusement ride that has a steel pipe track designed with turns, dips and loops, using gravity-propelled trolleys to slide down the track.
1970s Roll-O-Plane  
1940s Rotor   The Rotor is an amusement ride designed and patented by German engineer Ernst Hoffmeister in 1948. The ride was first demonstrated at Oktoberfest 1949 and still appears in numerous amusement parks. The Rotor is a large, upright barrel, rotated to create an inward acting centripetal force supplied by the wall's support force. Once at full speed, the floor is retraced, leaving the riders stuck to the wall of the drum.
1940s Round Up  
1938 Scrambler   Flat ride
2004 Screamin' Swing   Pendulum ride
1884 Shoot the Chute   Water ride
2003 Sky Swatter  
1992 Skycoaster  
1965 Skydiver  
1963 Skywheel The Skywheel is a ride that is essentially a double Ferris Wheel with each wheel attached on each end of a large boom that rotates on its axis causing the wheels to rise and fall while rotating independently as they rotate around the boom axis causing a gravitational thrill more spectacular than a normal Ferris Wheel. The ride was constructed by now defunct company Allan Herschell Company.[7]
1996 Space Shot   Drop tower
2000 Speed   Pendulum ride
1940s Star Flyer   Swing ride
1955 Super Shot Drop tower
1996 Super Star  
1960 Swing Around  
1920s Swing boat   Pendulum ride
1951 Tagada  
1948 Teacups  
1914 The Whip  
1926 Tilt-A-Whirl  
1996 Top Scan  
1990 Top Spin  
2002 Topple Tower   Pendulum ride
1955 Tornado (Mondial)  
1951 Tornado (Wisdom)  
1944 Tow boat ride   Water ride
1970s Troika  
1940s Tumble Bug  
1950s Turbo Drop   Drop tower
1953 Twist  
1978 UFO  
1957 UltraMax  
1933 Waltzer  
1963 Wipeout  
1968 Zipper  

Literature edit

  • Florian Dering: Volksbelustigungen. Eine bildreiche Kulturgeschichte von den Fahr-, Belustigungs- und Geschicklichkeitsgeschäften der Schausteller vom achtzehnten Jahrhundert bis zur Gegenwart. Greno, Nördlingen 1986, ISBN 3-89190-005-8.
  • Karl Ruisinger: Kirmes Special. Karussells 1950er und 1960er Jahre (= Kirmes Special 1). Gemi Verlag, Reichertshausen 2005, ISBN 3-9808913-3-X.
  • Sacha-Roger Szabo: Rausch und Rummel. Attraktionen auf Jahrmärkten und in Vergnügungsparks. Eine soziologische Kulturgeschichte. transcript-Verlag, Bielefeld 2006, ISBN 3-89942-566-9 (Zugleich: Freiburg, Univ., Diss., 2006).

References edit

  1. ^ "Why are people scared of roller coasters? | Highlights Kids". Highlights Kids. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  2. ^ Dockrill, Peter (2016-01-20). "The Science Behind Why We Love Terrifying Ourselves on Rollercoasters". ScienceAlert. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  3. ^ a b c Ferris wheels - an illustrated history, Norman D. Anderson
  4. ^ "Self-Powered Loop-the-Loop is Latest Ride" Popular Mechanics, April 1935
  5. ^ "What is the History of the Miami Funfair Ride? | Fairground FAQs".
  6. ^ "Out of the Past: "The Skywheel" Double Ferris Wheel". Buffalo Stories Archives & Blog. 10 August 2018. Retrieved 2023-10-28.

External links edit

  • http://www.ride-index.de − Datenbank der Reisenden Fahrgeschäfte in Deutschland (in German)
  • History of Fairs - Fairground Rides - Modern Rides :: National Fairground Archive
  • U.S. patents for roller coasters and related rides