WASHINGTON, June 13, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:
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THURSDAY, JUNE 13: THRILL RIDES
Profile America — Thursday, June 13th. With summer almost here, children will be urging their parents to take them to the nearest amusement park. The highlight of these parks are ever more thrilling roller coasters, which trace their roots back to 15th century ice slides in Russia. In the U.S., the first roller coaster opened 129 years ago this month at Coney Island, New York. It was built by LaMarcus Thompson, and was called the "Gravity Pleasure Switchback Railway." The ride lasted a minute at a breakneck six miles per hour, and cost a nickel. Now, there are 524 theme and amusement parks across the nation, and along with arcades, they sell $13.5 billion worth of tickets annually. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.
Sources: Kane's Famous First Facts, 3621
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 1229, 1231
Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotions of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).
SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau
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