The first American roller coaster was built at Coney Island

The first US patent for a roller coaster was issued in January 1884

Despite their Russian origins, roller coasters are often associated with the US. This is in part thanks to a businessman and inventor named LaMarcus Thompson, who revolutionized the amusement industry in the US beginning with the Gravity Pleasure Switchback Railway at Coney Island. He is now known as the "father of the American roller coaster."

LaMarcus Thompson wanted roller coasters to save people from Satan’s temptations

The inventor and businessman who is known as “the Father of the American roller coaster” was also a religious Sunday school teacher who wished to distract the public from indulging in popular sinful amusements of the time like saloons and brothels.

America’s first roller coaster initially transported coal instead of people

The Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway in the hills of Pennsylvania wasn’t initially intended to be a ride, but over time passengers and businessmen alike took advantage of the lovely tour through nature. The railway eventually reached over 100,000 riders in some years.

Millennial tastes in amusement parks have made coasters more family-friendly

As parks raced to make the biggest, longest, tallest roller coasters, costs skyrocketed, and the return on investment became more challenging to achieve. Consumer tastes have also changed, with Millennials in the US preferring more mid-tier rides for family inclusion.

Why roller coaster loops are never circular

The beloved looped roller coaster rides used to be shapes as perfect circles and constructed with wood, resulting in wobbly machinery that gave people whiplash. After the invention of steel and further scientific understanding, Six Flags debuted The Great American Revolution—a modern, oval loop with steel that offered a safer and smoother experience.

Atlantic City was a major vacation destination in the early 20th century

The city’s boardwalk, filled with amusement parks and vendors, became a significant attraction for vacationing families. The town also became a hub for entertainment, with actors often starting there before heading to Broadway.

The American diner evolved from a 'lunch wagon' into a restaurant

Providence, Rhode Island's Walter Scott began serving homemade dishes from a freight wagon to late-night workers, who were looking for meals long after proper restaurants had closed for the night. Scott quickly inspired dozens of copycats, crowding the streets and leading to complaints. Soon, Scott and his imitators parked their carts, which became the earliest American diners.

Mass transit in America began with horse-drawn omnibuses in New York City in 1827

The omnibus, a large horse-drawn stagecoach that ran a fixed route and carried a dozen riders at an affordable fare, was different from a private carriage because it carried everyone, not just the wealthy.

The first US stock exchange dates back to the 1790s in Philadelphia

Only two years after that stock exchange in Philadelphia started, the largest stock exchange in the US to date was created: the New York Stock Exchange.

Washington DC's streetcar network built the modern American suburb

Washington's first electric streetcar line launched in 1888, and real estate developers quickly built lines to open new neighborhoods. A 35-minute ride from Chevy Chase, Maryland, to downtown Washington transformed farmland into a suburb.

NYC's first subway was built largely in secret

In 1870, Alfred Ely Beach secretly tunneled under Broadway in 58 nights, disguising his pneumatic subway as a mail tube to fool Tammany Hall, the corrupt political machine that ran New York City. Nearly half a million New Yorkers rode it before politics, and a stock market crash killed the project.

The history of American summer camps

The modern summer camp was created in 1861 by a boarding school educator who wanted to teach his students military-grade self-sufficiency and discipline. Over the next century, the camp evolved, providing a solution for parents anxious about their kids' thin connections with nature and simplicity. This Atlas Obscura article traces the history from modest, independent operations to a sprawling seasonal industry.

America's oldest companies still operating today

Did you know that the Ticonderoga pencil company dates back to 1795? Or that Baker's Chocolate started in 1765? This visualization depicts the oldest American companies that are still in operation today in a timeline—see it here.

Browse a timeline of the fascinating history of board games in America.

A $50 bet led to the first coast-to-coast road trip

In 1903, Dr. Horatio Jackson took a $50 wager that he could drive from San Francisco to New York. Soon after, Jackson and his mechanic set out on the cross-country voyage without a map. They arrived in New York 63 days later. The trip cost them $260K in today’s money.

The American Research and Development Corporation is considered the first modern VC firm

Best known for investing in companies that wanted to utilize some of the technology developed during World War II, the ARDC’s cofounders all held prestigious positions at places like MIT and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

George Washington spent thousands of dollars on ice cream in a single summer

Records show that America's first president purchased a "cream machine for ice" as early as 1784. An accounting record from 1790 reveals that Washington spent $200—roughly equivalent to $6,300 today—on ice cream.

The Wright brothers began as bicycle manufacturers in Dayton, Ohio

In the late 1800s, the duo managed several bike shops in the Dayton, Ohio area, where they would sharpen their teeth in engineering and design. Some of their earliest aviation efforts were funded by their bicycle business and initiated in their bike shops.

He was one of the first writers to cover surfing

For his 1872 travelogue “Roughing It”, Mark Twain visited Hawaii and described a then-peculiar sport: surfing. He even recalls his own attempts to catch a wave, writing, “I got the board placed right, and at the right moment, too; but missed the connection myself. The board struck the shore in three-quarters of a second, without any cargo, and I struck the bottom about the same time, with a couple of barrels of water in me.”

Yellowstone was the world's first national park

Before it was designated as such, it was home to 27 Indigenous tribes, including the Blackfeet, Crow, and Nez Perce. European trappers and traders traveling west were entranced by the area’s stunning beauty and natural resources, fueling a push for the government to preserve the land for future generations.

Tony Hawk landed the first-ever 900 at the 1999 X Games

Tony Hawk made history by landing the first 900-degree spin in competition in 1999 after 11 attempts—creating one of the most iconic moments in action sports.

Leonard Thompson was the first human to receive an insulin injection for diabetes

In January 1922, the 14-year-old was the first person to receive an insulin injection to treat diabetes, just months after insulin was isolated in dogs and used to treat their induced diabetes. Thompson had an allergic response to an apparent impurity in the injection, but his second dose, 12 days later, was a success.

The world's first AC hydroelectric power plant incorporated Tesla's engineering

Built at Niagara Falls, New York, the plant alternating current electricity was hailed as the future of power generation. Tesla's fascination with Niagara Falls is traced to his seeing a photo of the waterfalls when he was still a child.

The skinniest house in America was built out of spite

John Hollensbury was a brickmaker in the early 1800s, living in Alexandria, Virginia. He also had the misfortune of living next to an alley around 7.5 feet wide where horse-drawn carriages scraped against his wall and rowdy loiterers stood by. To solve his problem, he built what is now known as the Alexandria Spite House. Read more about the home created to end neighborhood riffraff.

Disney funded his first theme park by agreeing to host a weekly show on ABC

Walt Disney was determined to open a theme park, but had numerous issues with funding. A break came when ABC offered to cover a signifcant portion of the construction, though it came with a catch: Walt would host a weekly Disneyland TV show (and provide them part-ownership of the park).

For centuries, Niagara Falls has been a magnet for daredevils seeking to conquer one of nature's most powerful wonders, with its 200-foot drop and water rushing at 32 feet per second with 280 tons of force.

The first horror movie is believed to be George Méliès' 1986 short 'The Haunted Castle,' which pioneered the use of special effects

Trace how the Bill of Rights, inspired by centuries of political theory, took shape between 1774 and 1789.

The 19th-century painters of the Hudson River School were among the first American romantics, with portraits that displayed the natural beauty of the young country.

Hear about the 250-year history of the United States Postal Service, complete with some of its strangest deliveries, important innovations, and the figures that made it an American institution.

The American cockroach is actually from Africa, an apparent hitchhiker aboard ships carrying enslaved people, with evidence suggesting the bug may have arrived in the New World as early as the 1600s.

While the first exchange-traded fund (a 'basket' of different assets that can be bought and sold on a stock exchange) in the US only launched in 1993, the global ETF market has grown to more than $10T in the short time since.

The history of many kitchen appliances involves unexpected discoveries and applications, including wartime radar turned hamster defroster and replacing an 'ice king' with heat-stealing boxes.

Jimmy Carter signed a 1978 bill that legalized home brewing, a move credited with kick-starting the craft beer industry.

The name 'Silicon Valley' arose from the founding of Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory in Fairchild Semiconductor in 1956-57, founded near Stanford University in Palo Alto

Stanford built a Google Maps for the Roman Empire, revealing how much it cost to travel in the ancient world

The animatronic shark from Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws,' the first modern blockbuster, was a complex underwater apparatus called 'Bruce.'

Sears sold DIY house kits starting at $600 in its famous catalog from 1908 through the 1940s, resulting in roughly 10,000 'Sears and Roebuck houses' being built.

70 years ago today, city officials in Santa Cruz, California, banned rock 'n' roll to protect its youth from corruption after witnessing a 'provocative' concert the night before.

How Amazon operates a 'flywheel' business model, a self-reinforcing cycle that drives continuous growth

The word 'jazz' evolved from 'jasm,' 19th-century American slang for 'energy'

Long before Major League Baseball began allowing instant replay for balls and strikes, an umpire reluctantly used the technology to determine whether a hit was a home run, a move that inadvertently ushered in a new era for the sport.

View the ten deadliest tornadoes in US history.

Abraham Lincoln was almost assassinated weeks before his inauguration as he traveled from Illinois to DC through Baltimore in 1861; it took two independent claims for Lincoln to be convinced the threat was real

Many legends about George Washington, including his supposed wooden teeth and the story of cutting down the cherry tree, lack evidence.

About 2,000 US babies are born annually without some portion of their limbs, potentially leading to a lifetime of pricey prosthetics.

Before the current East Wing ballroom project, only two White House renovations in the past 100 years cost more than $10M.

Some coin denominations have ridges etched on their sides, partly to prevent counterfeiting, in a practice called 'reeding.'

Fast-casual restaurant Chili's is experiencing a resurgence, with its parent company recently reporting a nearly 32% increase in sales, thanks to passionate Gen Z fans on TikTok.

In 2009, the nation was gripped by the story of a missing young boy who was believed to be floating over Colorado in a homemade balloon, until it was revealed that he was at home the whole time.