#RollerCoaster June 16
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n June 2025, many of us are taking part in the 30-Day “On This Date” Coach4aday Challenge. Each day, the challenge encourages participants to engage in a meaningful or enjoyable activity inspired by a historical event, anniversary, or personal memory tied to that specific date. My post today is on the first ROLLER COASTER.
On June 16, 1884, the first purposeful Roller Coaster in the United States opened on Coney Island. It was called “Switchback Railway” and was designed by LaMarcus Alda Thompson. It cost $1600 to build and a ride was 5 cents. In 30 days after it opened it paid for itself.
On This Date-30 Day Challenge Guidelines
As with previous challenges, participants are encouraged to adapt the guidelines to fit their own circumstances. If you can, commit to think about the history of each day in June.
- Record something about what happened on this date. It can be an event, memory, or anniversary.
- Share with a challenge partner if you have one.
- Join the conversation by posting on social media with the hashtag #Coach4adayChallenge
June 16th-Roller Coaster
I attended a parochial school from grades K-8 in New Jersey. The classroom building was attached to St Margaret’s Catholic Church which my family attended. My mom would volunteer my brother and I to serve as Altar Boys in the 1960’s, and we would get assigned an entire week of daily low masses mostly at 6:15 AM each morning. At the end of each school year there would be a trip to Betrand Island and depending on the number of weeks you served as an altar boy would determine how many free tickets for rides the Church/School would give you. One trip I used way too many tickets on the Betrand Island Roller Coaster and came home nauseous and that began a disdain for the ride to this day. I have been on the coaster at Carowinds and Space Mountain at Disney World, but I would rather listen to the Ohio Players sing “Love Rollercoaster” than get on the actual ride again.
Here is a short video on the Coney Island Roller Coaster.
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