"Mechanized Thrill Machines"
© Meg Greene Malvasi
An amusement park without rides? Preposterous! Yet, it once was so. Early amusement parks had very few rides. Those that did exist, like the "up-and-downs" at the Prater, were simple and primitive. Using the imagination and new technology, however, amusement parks slowly became known for more than carnivals or picnics. People came to ride the "mechanized thrill machines."
The first amusement park ride was the carousel, or merry-go-round as it is commonly known today. The idea for this popular ride originated with a game played by 12th-century Turkish horsemen. Warriors on horseback threw small clay balls filled with scented water at each other. Those who failed to catch the balls found often themselves covered with foul-smelling water. During the Middle Ages, European crusaders returning to Italy and Spain brought the game with them, calling it garosello or carosella, from which the word "carousel" derives.
The modern carousel is of English ancestry. Beginning in the 17th century, young noblemen perfected their equestrian skills on a mechanical device that consisted of a post with arms extending like the spokes of a wheel. At the end of these "spokes" were crudely carved wooden horses. Pushed by servants, the noblemen practiced spearing rings with lances as if on horseback. It was only a matter of time before these "carousels" began appearing in early pleasure gardens.
With the invention of the steam engine and later the harnessing of electricity, carousels quickly became a popular attraction at amusement parks. People could select their "mount" from among a wide array of wonderfully carved, colorfully painted, and often exotic animals, including everything from lions to giraffes and even dragons! By far the most popular "mount," though, remained the horse. Even today, with their ornate decorations, elaborately carved animals, and lively calliope music, merry-go-rounds offer amusement park goers of all ages an opportunity to enjoy its timeless enchantment.
If the carousel offered park visitors a taste of the elegant and the picturesque, the roller coaster supplied speed, danger, excitement, and adventure. Probably the most recognized trademark of the modern amusement park, the roller coaster's beginnings are almost as colorful as those of the carousel.
Had you lived in Russia during the 17th century, you might have found yourself one wintry day hurtling down a 70-foot snowy incline on a wooden sled! A "guide" sitting in the front of the two-foot sled would have steered it while holding you on his lap. If you wanted to ride again, however, you and the guide would have had to pull the sled back up the steep slope. Although you wouldn't have known it then, you would have just taken a ride on an early roller coaster.
The first amusement park ride was the carousel, or merry-go-round as it is commonly known today. The idea for this popular ride originated with a game played by 12th-century Turkish horsemen. Warriors on horseback threw small clay balls filled with scented water at each other. Those who failed to catch the balls found often themselves covered with foul-smelling water. During the Middle Ages, European crusaders returning to Italy and Spain brought the game with them, calling it garosello or carosella, from which the word "carousel" derives.
The modern carousel is of English ancestry. Beginning in the 17th century, young noblemen perfected their equestrian skills on a mechanical device that consisted of a post with arms extending like the spokes of a wheel. At the end of these "spokes" were crudely carved wooden horses. Pushed by servants, the noblemen practiced spearing rings with lances as if on horseback. It was only a matter of time before these "carousels" began appearing in early pleasure gardens.
With the invention of the steam engine and later the harnessing of electricity, carousels quickly became a popular attraction at amusement parks. People could select their "mount" from among a wide array of wonderfully carved, colorfully painted, and often exotic animals, including everything from lions to giraffes and even dragons! By far the most popular "mount," though, remained the horse. Even today, with their ornate decorations, elaborately carved animals, and lively calliope music, merry-go-rounds offer amusement park goers of all ages an opportunity to enjoy its timeless enchantment.
If the carousel offered park visitors a taste of the elegant and the picturesque, the roller coaster supplied speed, danger, excitement, and adventure. Probably the most recognized trademark of the modern amusement park, the roller coaster's beginnings are almost as colorful as those of the carousel.
Had you lived in Russia during the 17th century, you might have found yourself one wintry day hurtling down a 70-foot snowy incline on a wooden sled! A "guide" sitting in the front of the two-foot sled would have steered it while holding you on his lap. If you wanted to ride again, however, you and the guide would have had to pull the sled back up the steep slope. Although you wouldn't have known it then, you would have just taken a ride on an early roller coaster.
The copyright of the article "Mechanized Thrill Machines" in History For Children is owned by Meg Greene Malvasi. Permission to republish "Mechanized Thrill Machines" in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
