Roller coasters first appeared in the 17th century, and LaMarcus Adna Thompson obtained one of the first known patents for a roller coaster design in 1885, based on the Switchback Railway which opened a year earlier at Coney Island.

In 2026, the age of "the roller coaster" depends on which one you mean, but the world's oldest operating unit is the Great Scenic Railway at Luna Park in Melbourne, Australia, which is 114 years old (built in 1912). If you are referring to the earliest origins of the ride, "Russian Mountains" dates back to the 17th century, where thrill-seekers in Saint Petersburg slid down 70-foot ice-covered wooden slides. In the U.S., the first commercial coaster was the Switchback Railway at Coney Island, which opened 142 years ago in 1884. Conversely, the newest record-breaker in 2026 is Falcon's Flight at Six Flags Qiddiya City, which opened just months ago in late 2025, reaching a staggering 640 feet. Whether century-old wood or brand-new steel, these machines continue to define the pinnacle of gravity-defying amusement park engineering.