Roller coasters began as 17th-century ice slides in Russia, not thrill rides in America

historyWikipedia17th century · Saint Petersburg, Russia

Roller coasters began as 17th-century ice slides in Russia, not thrill rides in America

the gist

The earliest roller coasters are thought to descend from ice hills built in the 17th century in the area that is now Saint Petersburg, Russia, some 21 to 24 metres high with 50-degree drops. By 1817 Paris had early wheeled versions, including the Promenades Aériennes, whose cars were locked onto the track with guide rails. In 1827 a Pennsylvania mining company built a gravity railway to carry coal, and by the 1850s it was selling rides to thrill seekers. In 1884 LaMarcus Adna Thompson opened a gravity switchback at Coney Island, and in 1885 Phillip Hinkle added a lift hill for the first full-circuit coaster. In 1959 Disneyland's Matterhorn Bobsleds introduced tubular steel track, which allowed loops and corkscrews.

how it works

Gravity does most of the work: a chain or motor lifts the train to the top of a hill, and from then on the energy stored in height turns into speed as the train descends. Wheels and guides keep it on the track through the loops and turns.

so what

The core idea, a lift to a height and then gravity, still drives most coasters today. Tubular steel track made inversions possible, and it set off a race for height records that ended with Kingda Ka at 456 feet, after which no park wanted to pay to beat it.

fun fact

Catherine the Great is said to have had a sledding hill built in her palace gardens in 1784.

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗