16th August: Roller coaster day

Roller Coaster Day! 10 things you might not know about roller coasters.

1. The idea for roller coasters originated in Russia, where they made hills from ice with wooden supports in the 17th century, and they were known as "Russian mountains". The word for roller coaster in many languages is actually a translation of "Russian mountains", while in Russia they call them "American mountains".
2. Some historians say the first real roller coaster was built for Catherine the Great in the Gardens of Oranienbaum in Saint Petersburg in 1784. Others believe that the first roller coaster was built in Paris: The Les Montagnes Russes à Belleville (The Russian Mountains of Belleville) in 1817.
3. The first roller coaster in America was originally a train for moving coal down a mountain, which became a thrill ride when it was no longer needed for moving coal.
4. The tallest roller coaster in the world is Kingda Ka at the Six Flags Great Adventure park in the USA, at 456 ft (139 m). It also holds the record for the longest drop at 418 ft (127 m). The UK’s tallest coaster is Big One, at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
5. The longest is Steel Dragon 2000 at Nagashima Spa Land in Japan, at 8,133 ft (2,479 m).
6. The fastest roller coaster is Formula Rossa at Ferrari World in the United Arab Emirates which reaches 149 mph (240 km/h).
7. The steepest is Takabisha at Fuji-Q Highland Japan which has a 121° drop.
8. The roller coaster that turns people upside down the most times (14) during the ride is The Smiler, at Alton Towers.
9. The oldest still operating roller coaster is Leap the Dips at Lakemont Park in Pennsylvania, built in 1904.
10. In 2010, 102 roller coaster enthusiasts set the world record at Adventure Island in Essex, for the highest number of people riding a roller coaster in the nude.