50 Groundbreaking Roller Coasters

Book excerpt: 50 Groundbreaking Roller Coasters is a comprehensive list of the most influential scream machines that drove the evolution of the modern roller coaster. It's a new and interesting look at roller coaster history. What makes a majority of the roller coasters listed in this book even more impressive is the fact that they were designed using pencil and paper rather than computers. The groundbreaking scream machines that shaped the evolution of the roller coaster made this list because they were the first of their kind, crossed a threshold that had never been broken before, or have some other historical or cultural significance, such as: The first floorless coaster. The first to use lap bar restraints. The first to use Linear Induction Motors. The first to have two hills over 100 feet. The first modern wooden coaster built in China. The first steel inverting coaster. The first to break 100mph. The biggest wooden coaster ever built. And much more! Trace the evolution of white knuckle rides through these 50 Groundbreaking Roller Coasters. Nick Weisenberger is the author of Coasters 101: An Engineer's Guide to Roller Coaster Design and The 50 Most Unique Roller Coasters Ever Built.