The history of early roller coasters

This week’s episode of The History of Fun is a particularly good summertime listen. For those who have been counting down the days until amusement park season, we have a great aperitif, if you will: the early history of the roller coaster.

Roller coaster aficionado Russ Frushtick takes us on a ride through the early part of the 20th century, with occasional loop-de-loops and drops to jazz things up. You’ll find out just how high the first roller coasters went, as well as the first time they took people upside down.

Also, Allegra tries and fails to get some new slang going: “Leap the dips.”

Special thanks to everyone who participated in our segment, Reader Only Memories, wherein we share listener stories about the topic at hand. Special thanks to Foo Obsessed for the great Reader Only Memories theme song! Check them out on Soundcloud.

Here is the full thread of responses:

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New to The History of Fun? Every Monday, Russ Frushtick, Allegra Frank and Chris Plante explore the hidden backstories behind the things we love to do. Ever wonder where dodgeball came from? Or the origins of the creepy Chuck E. Cheese robots? Or how about why Beanie Babies exploded and then vanished into the sands of time? We’ll seek to answer those questions and have some fun along the way! Subscribe and join us — we’d love to have you.