In the 19th century, roller coasters aimed to get Americans back on track

Every day, RTBF Tendance reveals to you extraordinary information, but absolutely true. Today, we head to Connie Island in New York.

Delight the lost sheep

Lamarcus name Adna Thompson may not ring the bell, but in the United States, He is in the form of the first local “rollercoasters”. Or wooden roller coasters, still found (in a more developed form) on Connie Island today.

Other roller coasters were already in the world, but Thomson’s “Switchback Railway” was created for a special reason, That is, to keep Americans out of brothels and other salons. In fact, Lamarcus was a devout Christian who was concerned about the state of American morality.

So his idea was to provide hobbies that were “healthy” and morally acceptable., So his invention was established on the island of Connie, which he regarded as a place of abuse. Following that, when his first attraction was successful (winning $ 600 a day, now equivalent to 15,000 euros), Lamarcus Adna Thompson has helped design more than 50 roller coasters worldwideBefore dying in 1919.