ABOUT THE CONEY ISLAND CYCLONE

When was it first built?

The roller coaster firt made its debut on June 26th, 1927. Since then, it is marked as a New York City designated landmark.

How long, tall, and fast is the Cyclone?

The ride extends for 2640 ft. and reaches maximum height of 85 ft. It reaches maximum speed of 60mph.

Where is it located?

It is located within the Luna Park in Coney Island, southwest part of Brooklyn, NYC. Coney Island holds many entertainment that contrast to typcial New York City. Within Coney Island, there is the legendary roller coaster, the Cyclone, along with the New York Aquarium, a world-renowned boardwalk, the original Nathan’s Famous, the Brooklyn Cyclones minor league baseball team, and, of course, beautiful Atlantic beaches.

What is known about the Luna Park?

Luna Park was founded by Frederic Thompson and Elmer 'Skip' Dundy. Thompson, an architect by training, was born in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1872. His exceptional creative ingenuity and marketing flair were rivaled only by his equally exceptional disregard for financial prudence. Dundy, born in 1862 in Omaha, Nebraska, was Thompson's perfect complement. He naturally was an astute and crafty businessman with a knack for raising money, but lacked the artistic creativity. Thompson and Dundy first met in 1898 at the midway of the Omaha World's Fair, known as the Trans-Mississippi Exposition. Midways had by this time become a major attraction at world's fairs, popularized by the original Midway at the Columbian Exposition of 1893. Dundy, after graduating from college in Nebraska, worked locally as a law clerk in the federal court where his father served as judge. Undoubtedly excited by the massive fair, Dundy agreed to provide the financial backing for Henry Roltair's two amusement concessions, 'Havana and the Maine' and 'The Mystic Garden'. Thompson was hired for the architectural design for Roltair's shows, and also redid a failing underground mine shaft ride into a somewhat primitive show of his own called Darkness and Dawn. Roltair would later go on to design Dreamland's major illusion spectacle, Creation, as well as End of the World and other major illusion-based shows. Dundy made a profit on Roltair's two concessions and then risked it all by purchasing numerous concessions for a repeat of the fair the next year. Few visitors materialized and Dundy lost $46,000, an incredible sum at the time. But Dundy had seen the even larger sums that could be made in the midways at world's fairs and was undeterred. He also devised a surprising plan based on his sharp legal eye. The second time Thompson and Dundy met was in Buffalo, New York, ahead of the New York World's Fair of 1901. This encounter must have quickly turned sour when Thompson realized that Dundy himself was submitting a concession bid using Thompson's own Darkness and Dawn. Dundy pointed out that Thompson had failed to copyright the show. An enraged Thompson, not finding as much comfort as Thompson in this legal oversight, thought he still would win the concession based on some improvements he had made. Dundy again outmaneuvered Thompson by politicking his way to success behind the scenes. Thompson, at this point likely just as flabbergasted as impressed by the unimposing Dundy, realized that his and Dundy's talents would be far better used in combination than in competition. Thompson offered to share his ideas for a ride far superior that Darkness and Dawn if Dundy would agree to work on it with him as an equal partner and showcase it in the Buffalo World's Fair. Dundy agreed, cementing a partnership that would last until Dundy's death.