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Where Was the First Roller Coaster Invented?

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Adam Zeidan
Adam Zeidan is an Assistant Managing Editor, having joined Encyclopædia Britannica in 2018. He covers a range of topics related primarily to the Middle East and North Africa.
Adam Zeidan
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Advertising poster for the opening in Paris of "Montagnes Russes" (Russian Mountains), c. 1882-1888, by an anonymous artist; in the collection of the Musee Carnavalet, Paris, France. (graphic arts, posters, roller coasters)
Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris, Paris Musées

The first roller coaster was invented in Russia. Roller coasters have their origins in a form of ice sledding that became popular in Russia in the 15th century. An adaptation opened in 1784 in St. Petersburg that included carriages on grooved tracks. Further adaptations were made in the 19th century in France and in the United States that led to the roller coasters we know today.