The first American Roller Coaster was built in the mid-1800s.
The first American roller coaster was the Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway, built in the mountains of Pennsylvania in the mid-1800s. The track, originally built to send coal to a railway, was reconfigured as a “scenic tour.” For a nickel, tourists got a leisurely ride up to the top of the mountain followed by a wild, bumpy ride back down.