Groovy History: Roller Coasters

The first American roller coaster was actually a railway. The Mauch Chunk Switchback Gravity Railway (shown above) was built in the mountains of Pennsylvania in 1827. The track, originally built to send coal to the bottom of a hill, relied on mules to haul the empty cars back to the top of the hill. During non-peak hours, for one dollar, …

Backyard Roller Coasters Are Groovy Fun

How cool would it be to build a roller coaster in your own backyard? Though it’s not common practice, recently there have been several people who were driven to meet the challenge of designing their own backyard coaster.  Not such a crazy idea—the project teaches physics emphasizing gravity, friction and speed while making fun for the entire family. The Oklahoma …