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Summertime means family fun at amusement parks, riding roller coasters, waterslides and merry-go-rounds. Test how well you know your Ferris wheels from your Tilt-A-Whirls with our quiz. And


if you get stumped, just throw your hands in the air and yell, “Wheeee!”


Members only Question 1 of 10


True or false: The first U.S. roller coaster opened in 1884 in Coney Island, New York.

Nextrecord Archives/Getty Images True False


The Switchback Railway at the Brooklyn beachside community known as Coney Island is widely credited as the first roller coaster designed as an amusement for the masses. But it had some


drawbacks. Cars had to be manually pushed to the top, and riders had to get out and climb a second 50-foot tower to get back to the starting place. But the ride was a huge hit. Within four


years, designer LaMarcus Thompson had built more than 50 coasters around the world.

Question 2 of 10


What Jurassic Park author also wrote and directed the 1973 film Westworld about another rogue amusement park?

Stephen King Steven Spielberg Michael Crichton Stanley Kubrick


Michael Crichton may be best remembered as a novelist, but he directed half a dozen feature films in the 1970s and ’80s, including two well-reviewed thrillers in 1978: the medical drama Coma


with Michael Douglas and the period heist movie The Great Train Robbery with Sean Connery.

Question 3 of 10


Where is the world’s fastest roller coaster located?

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Sandusky, Ohio Valencia, California Nagoya, Japan


The Formula Rossa coaster, which opened in 2010 in the UAE’s Ferrari World park, reaches a top speed of 149 miles per hour in just 4.9 seconds and exerts a maximum force of 4.8 gs. (The park


provides free goggles to protect your eyes.) But the ride’s record may soon be shattered by the Falcon’s Flight coaster now under construction in Saudi Arabia’s Six Flags Qiddiya City. That


ride, due to open in late 2024, promises to be the world’s tallest (at 650 feet) and fastest (at 155 miles per hour).

Question 4 of 10


What amusement park does the Griswold family drive across the country to visit in the 1983 comedy National Lampoon’s Vacation?

Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection Disneyland Walley


World Funtopia Pacific Playland


Walley World is clearly based on the Disney theme parks, only with a moose mascot instead of Mickey Mouse. But the original film shot its final scenes at Six Flags Magic Mountain in


Valencia, California. You can still ride on a revamped version of the Colossus roller coaster (called Screaming Mimi in the film) that thrilled the Griswolds.

Question 5 of 10


What popular toy inspired the creation of a theme park in Denmark in 1968 that has since grown into a worldwide chain of attractions?

Lincoln Logs Lego bricks Erector set Barbie


Ole Kirk Christiansen, a Danish carpenter who specialized in making wooden toys, chose the name Lego from the first two letters of the Danish words leg godt, which mean “play well.” In the


late 1940s, he shifted from wood to plastic for his toy bricks, and in 1958 he patented the company’s signature “stud-and-tube coupling system.” The company operates 10 Legoland parks


worldwide — with U.S. locations in California, Florida and New York — with three more opening in China in 2024.


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