thumb|270px|Early pleasure wheel in [[Russia, 1807]]
Amusement rides, sometimes called carnival rides, are mechanical devices or structures that move people to create fun and enjoyment.
Rides are often perceived by many as being scary or more dangerous than they actually are. This could be due to the design, having acrophobia, or from hearing about accidents involving rides that are similar. For some, the adrenaline associated with riding amusement rides is part of the experience.
They are common at most annual events such as fairs, traveling carnivals, and circuses around the world. Sometimes music festivals and concerts also host amusement park rides.
Types of rides
- Flat rides are usually those that move their passengers on a plane generally parallel to the ground, such as rides that spin around a vertical axis, like carousels and twists; and ground-level rides such as bumper cars. The term is also used to refer to amusement rides that are not classified as dark rides, rollercoasters, transport rides, or water rides.
- In gravity rides, gravity is responsible for all or some of the movement where any vertical movement is not about a fixed point, such as roller coasters, water slides and drop towers. It generates a significant amount of centrifugal force, causing the riders on the inside of the seats to crush the riders on the outside of the seats. It was once found at nearly every amusement park around the United States, but is now very rare.
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| 1996
| Chaos
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|1954
| Cliffhanger
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| The Cliff Hanger is an amusement park rider that is meant to simulate hang gliding.
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| 1984
| Condor
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| The Condor is the trade name of an amusement ride sold by HUSS of Bremen, Germany. It was debuted at the 1984 New Orleans World's Fair, under the name "Cyclo Tower".
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|1993
|Crazy Bus
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| 2003
| Disk'O
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| The Disk'O (also known as Skater or Surf's Up) is a type of flat ride manufactured by Zamperla of Italy. The ride is a larger version of a Rockin' Tug, also manufactured by Zamperla.
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| 1907
| Devil's wheel
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|1943
| Double Shot
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| Drop tower
| a drop tower that drops riders down at high speeds
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| 1972
| Enterprise
| 175px
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| 1992
| Evolution
| 175px
| pendulum ride
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| 1980
| Explorer
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| 1893
| Ferris wheel
| 175px
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|1972
| Fireball
| 175px
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| 1989
| Flight Trainer
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| 1959
| Flying Coaster
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| 1935
| Flying Scooters
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| 1948
| Fly-O-Plane
| 175px
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| 1953
| Freak out
| 175px
| Pendulum ride
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|-
| 1982
| Freefall
| 175px
| Drop tower
| riders freefall at a high speeds
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| 1994
| Frisbee
| 175px
| Pendulum ride
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|1954
| Fun Slide
| 175px
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|-
| 1983
| Gravitron
| 175px
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|-
|1954
| Gyro tower
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|-
| 1893
| Haunted swing
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| A haunted swing is a vintage amusement ride that creates the illusion of apparent motion by independently rotating the room around a swinging platform.
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| Hayride
| 175px
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| 1905
| Helter skelter
| 175px
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| 1940s
| Hurricane
| 175px
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|1960s
| Infinity
| 175px
| Pendulum ride
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|1950s
| Inversion
| 175px
| Pendulum ride
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|1950s
| Jump and Smile
| 175px
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|-
| 1984
| Kamikaze
| 175px
| Pendulum ride
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|-
|1930
| Kiddie ride
| 175px
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| A kiddie ride is a child-sized, themed, mildly interactive coin-operated ride that can be ridden by young children for amusement.
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|1963
|Log flume
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|Water ride
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| 1982
| Looping Starship
| 175px
| Pendulum ride
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|1952
| Loop Fighter
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| Pendulum ride
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| 1933
| Loop-O-Plane
| 175px
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|1933
| Loop-the-Loop
| 175px
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|1929
| Madhouse
| 175px
| Dark ride
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|1989
| Magic
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| Flat ride
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|-
|2007
|Magic Bikes
|frameless|175x175px
|Flat ride
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|1926
| Matterhorn
| 175px
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|-
| 1930s
| Mechanical bull
| 175px
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| 1982
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| 175px
| Thrill ride
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|1996
| Mixer
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|1977
| Monster
| 175px
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| 1986
| Motion simulator
| 175px
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|1954
| Music Express
| 175px
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|1952
| Octopus
| 175px
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|1895
| Old Mill
| 175px
| Water ride
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| 1968
| Omnimover
| 175px
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|-
| 1976
| Orbiter
| 175px
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|-
| 1957
| Paratrooper
| 175px
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|-
| c.1893
| Pirate Ship
| 175px
| Pendulum ride
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|-
| 1999
| Power Surge
| 175px
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| 1983
| Rainbow
| 175px
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| 1981
| Ranger
| 175px
| Pendulum ride
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|1971
| Red Baron
| 175px
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| c.1978
| Reverse bungee
| 175px
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|-
|1956
| River caves
| 175px
| Water ride
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| 1980
| River rapids ride
| 175px
| Water ride
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|-
| 1978
| Rockin' Tug
| 175px
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| 1948
| Rock-O-Plane
| 175px
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|1974
| Rockstar
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| Pendulum ride
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| 1700s
| Roller coaster
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| The roller coaster is an amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson obtained a patent regarding roller coasters on January 20, 1885, which were made out of wood, but this patent is considerably later than the "Russian mountains" described in the article.
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| 2013
| Rollglider
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| The Rollglider is a type of a thrill amusement ride that has a steel pipe track designed with turns, dips and loops, using gravity-propelled trolleys to slide down the track.
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|1970s
| Roll-O-Plane
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| 1940s
| Rotor
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| The Rotor is an amusement ride designed and patented by German engineer Ernst Hoffmeister in 1948. The ride was first demonstrated at Oktoberfest 1949 and still appears in numerous amusement parks. The Rotor is a large, upright barrel, rotated to create an inward acting centripetal force supplied by the wall's support force. Once at full speed, the floor is retraced, leaving the riders stuck to the wall of the drum.
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|1990s
| Rotoshake
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| Pendulum ride
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|1940s
| Round Up
| 175px
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| 1938
| Scrambler
| 175px
| Flat ride
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| 2004
| Screamin' Swing
| 175px
| Pendulum ride
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| 1884
| Shoot the Chute
| 175px
| Water ride
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|2016
|Sidecar
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|Flat ride
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| 2003
| Sky Swatter
| 175px
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| 1992
| Skycoaster
| 175px
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| 1965
| Skydiver
| 175px
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|2012
|Sky Fly
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|Flat Ride
|A ride that has an arm that spins carrying suspended riders. The riders can flip themself using the wings on each side of the seat.
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|2009
|Sky Roller
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|Flat Ride
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| 1963
| Sky Wheel
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|The Skywheel is a ride that is essentially a double Ferris Wheel with each wheel attached on each end of a large boom that rotates on its axis causing the wheels to rise and fall while rotating independently as they rotate around the boom axis causing a gravitational thrill more spectacular than a normal Ferris Wheel. The ride was constructed by now defunct company Allan Herschell Company.
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|1891
|Somers' Roundabout
|175px
|Flat Ride
|A wooden precursor to the Ferris wheel.
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| 1996
| Space Shot
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| Drop tower
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|2000
| Speed
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| Pendulum ride
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|1940s
| Star Flyer
| 175px
| Swing ride
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|1955
| Super Shot
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| Drop tower
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| 1996
| Super Star
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| 1960
| Swing Around
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| 1830s
| Swing boat
| 175px
| Pendulum ride
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|1951
| Tagada
| 175px
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|1948
| Teacups
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| 1914
| The Whip
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| 1926
| Tilt-A-Whirl
| 175px
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| 1996
| Top Scan
| 175px
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| 1990
| Top Spin
| 175px
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| 2002
| Topple Tower
| 175px
| Pendulum ride
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|1955
| Tornado (Mondial)
| 175px
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|1951
| Tornado (Wisdom)
| 175px
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|1944
| Tow boat ride
| 175px
| Water ride
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| Late 1800s
| Train ride
| 175px
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|-
| 1977
| Tri-Star
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| Flat ride
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| 1970s
| Troika
| 175px
| Flat ride
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|1930s
| Tumble Bug
| 175px
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|1970
| Turbo
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|1950s
| Turbo Drop
| 175px
| Drop tower
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|2011
|Twist 'n' Splash
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|A Teacups variant with water elements. Two models exist, Twist 'n' Splash produced by Mack Rides and Watermania produced by Zamperla.
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| 1978
| UFO
| 175px
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|1957
| UltraMax
| 175px
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| 1933
| Waltzer
| 175px
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| 1963
| Wipeout
| 175px
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|-
| 1907
| Witching Waves
| 175px
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| Witching Waves is a historical flat ride that propels light cars using waves created in its flexible metal oval track by levers underneath that rise and fall in sequence.
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| 1968
| Zipper
| 175px
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Literature
- Florian Dering: Volksbelustigungen. Eine bildreiche Kulturgeschichte von den Fahr-, Belustigungs- und Geschicklichkeitsgeschäften der Schausteller vom achtzehnten Jahrhundert bis zur Gegenwart. Greno, Nördlingen 1986, .
- Karl Ruisinger: Kirmes Special. Karussells 1950er und 1960er Jahre (= Kirmes Special 1). Gemi Verlag, Reichertshausen 2005, .
- Sacha-Roger Szabo: Rausch und Rummel. Attraktionen auf Jahrmärkten und in Vergnügungsparks. Eine soziologische Kulturgeschichte. transcript-Verlag, Bielefeld 2006, (Zugleich: Freiburg, Univ., Diss., 2006).
References
External links
- Ride-Index.de − Datenbank der Reisenden Fahrgeschäfte in Deutschland (in German)
- History of Fairs - Fairground Rides - Modern Rides :: National Fairground Archive
- U.S. patents for roller coasters and related rides