Ten Fun & Interesting Facts About Roller Coasters

The Fastest

• The fastest roller coaster in the world title goes to the newly opened Formula Rossa ride, at Abu Dhabi's Formula One theme park. The ride launches thrill seekers to a top speed of 149 miles per hour.
  
  

The Tallest

• The Six Flags Great Adventure Park is home to the Kingda Ka roller coaster, which is currently the tallest in the world, reaching a whopping height of 465 feet.
  
  

The Longest

• The longest roller coaster in the world can be found at Japan's Nagashima Spa Land. The steel dragon 2000 has a track that covers 8133 feet.
  
  

Highest Number of Inversions

• The Colossus roller coaster in Thorpe Park, England, has an incredible 10 inversions.
  
  

The Oldest

• The oldest recorded roller coaster was built in 1904, and now stands in Lakemont Park, Pennsylvania.
  
  

The Largest Amount

• Cedar Point theme park has the highest number of roller coasters, with 17 different rides to choose from.
  
  

Fun Fact

• In 2010, 102 roller coaster enthusiasts set a new world record at Adventure Island in Essex, for the most amount of people riding a roller coaster nude.
  
  

Longest Time on a Roller Coaster

• Richard Rodriguez holds the world record for the longest time spent on a roller coaster, a total of 401 hours.
  
  

Roller Coaster Science

• Most conventional roller coasters do not have engines, instead they work by converting potential energy into kinetic energy.
  
  

The First Steel Roller Coaster

• In 1959, the first ever tubular steel roller coaster was created. The Matterhorn bobsled roller coaster was built for Disneyland, in Anaheim, California.