The Great 6 MPH Thrill! On June 16, 1884, the world of amusement changed forever when LaMarcus Adna Thompson opened the Switchback Railway at Coney Island. This wasn't your modern loop-de-loop nightmare; it was a wooden structure where the 'screams' were probably just polite gasps of surprise. The Quirky Details: Passengers didn't face forward like they do today; they sat sideways on benches, facing their fellow riders like they were on a very bumpy, scenic bus. The ride peaked at a blistering 6 miles per hour. To get back to the start, riders had to exit at the end of the track while attendants manually pushed the car up a hill for the return journey. It was essentially a nickel-priced workout for the staff and a slow-motion adventure for the public. Despite the snail's pace, it was a massive hit, proving that humans have always loved paying money to be slightly inconvenienced for the sake of 'adventure'!
