Manafonistas

Roller coasters made their thrilling and terrifying debut around 250 years ago and the business has seen almost as many dips and dives in the time since as there are in a typical coaster. After a slow start in 17th-century Russia, coasters really hit their stride during the Industrial Revolution, combining the “appearance of danger with actual safety.” Today, we live in a golden age of steel-railed coasters. These behemoths take between one and five years to build and cost up to $30 million. But who cares about the money if they can make us scream with that magical combination of joy and terror?