August 15, 2026

National Roller Coaster Day: A Brief History of Humanity's Greatest Mistake

Tomorrow is National Roller Coaster Day, which means we collectively pretend that strapping ourselves to a rickety metal skeleton and hurling ourselves through the air at 100 mph is a healthy leisure activity. And honestly? Worth it.

August 16 marks the anniversary of the first roller coaster patent — LaMarcus Thompson's Switchback Railway, which opened at Coney Island in 1884. It cost a nickel, topped out at a blistering 6 mph, and was essentially a gravity-powered sled on a wooden track. People lost their minds. They lined up for blocks. It was, by any objective measure, the beginning of the end for sensible human recreation.

Thompson didn't invent the concept — Russians had been flinging themselves down ice slides since the 17th century, and the French later added wheels — but he patented it, commercialized it, and convinced Americans that paying money to be briefly terrified was a good business model. 142 years later, here we are.

From 6 mph to 155 mph

Let's put 2026 in perspective. This year alone, Six Flags opened three coasters that each claim multiple world records. Falcons Flight in Qiddiya City hits 155 mph, climbs 640 feet, and stretches nearly three miles of track — it's the tallest, fastest, and longest coaster on Earth all at once. Bakunawa at Six Flags Great Adventure is a 382-foot spinning floorless launch coaster that breaks six records and looks like a mythological sea serpent designed by mad scientists. Tormenta Rampaging Run in Texas is the first-ever giga dive coaster, dropping riders 285 feet at a beyond-vertical angle.

Thompson's Switchback Railway cost $1,600 to build. A single train for Falcons Flight probably cost more than my house.

Why Do We Do This?

There's actual science here, and it's beautiful. When you drop 300 feet at 90 mph, your brain dumps dopamine, adrenaline, and endorphins in quantities normally reserved for narrowly escaping a bear attack. You scream. You laugh. You exit the ride feeling like you've fought a minor war and won. It's the closest most of us will ever get to piloting a fighter jet or wrestling an alligator, and it costs about the same as a nice sandwich.

The Enchanted Parks chain is celebrating tomorrow with free commemorative pins, early entry, surprise Fast Lane giveaways, and exclusive night rides at Valleyfair, Worlds of Fun, Michigan's Adventure, and more. Hersheypark is celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Comet, a legendary wooden coaster that has been scaring families since 1946. If you live near a park, go. If you don't, pour one out for LaMarcus Thompson and fire up a POV video on YouTube.

The Verdict

Roller coasters are stupid in the best possible way. They make no sense economically, biologically, or emotionally. You strap in. You go up. You come down fast. You weirdly want to do it again. That's the whole deal. And as long as engineers keep finding new ways to bend steel and break records, I'll keep showing up.

Happy National Roller Coaster Day. Go ride something tall.

Disclosure: I rode Tormenta Rampaging Run in July. It was fine. I screamed like a child. Would recommend.