by Max C

Created on: March 26, 2009

Amusement parks have been a huge part of America's pastime ever since the famous and iconic Coney Island. Ever since their creation, the largest thrill and biggest attraction in many theme parks have been the rides, and more specifically, the roller coasters. Consisting of hills, drops, and inversions, the intimidating roller coaster has become the symbol for amusement parks around the world. The last 40 years have seen an incredible increase in the design and construction of evermore advanced roller coasters, which now reach speeds of up to 128 miles per hour, dizzying heights of over 450 feet, and numerous inversions bound to make rider's heads spin.

While the age of the wooden roller coaster is no more, these nostalgic brutes still pack an enormous punch in the form of classics like the Colossos in Germany, and the more recently built Beast and Son of Beast located at King's island. These two giants of the wooden coaster world are perhaps the biggest hits of their type, featuring colossal heights, steep drops, white knuckle speeds and turns, and amazingly a wooden loop on the incredible Son of Beast, which is perhaps the greatest wooden coaster of the modern era.

Wooden coaster may capture memories and offer a certain sway that the more modern steel rides cannot match, but the sheer might which engineers can create with steel means that the greatest coasters were soon those made of steel. Many great feats such as the world's first loop, part of the Six Flags Magic Mountain classic, Revolution, have ushered in the age of the steel coaster. The great steel coasters are innumerable, and fill many different niches for types of coasters which were not possible with wooden such as inverted, and shuttle style.

Steel coasters became hugely accepted with the creation of Magnum XL-200, the first coaster ever to top the 200 foot mark. The coaster is still popular as the first coaster ever to be classified as a "mega coaster", reaching speeds of 72 mph, the Magnum was a force to be reckoned with, adding on the already and still great Cedar Point amusement park in Ohio, home to many other greats of the roller coaster world.

Another great creation was the inverted coater Alpengeist located at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, which since 1997 has been the largest and fastest inverted coaster, and truly packs a punch. Reaching speeds of 67 mph and reaching a height of 195 feet, truly incredible for an inverted coaster. This is truly one of the greatest coasters ever.

When it comes

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