With summer almost here, children will be urging their parents to take them to the nearest amusement park. The highlight of these parks are ever more thrilling roller coasters, which trace their roots back to 15th century ice slides in Russia. In the U.S., the first roller coaster opened 129 years ago this month at Coney Island, New York. It was built by LaMarcus Thompson, and was called the “Gravity Pleasure Switchback Railway.” The ride lasted a minute at a breakneck six miles per hour, and cost a nickel. Now, there are 524 theme and amusement parks across the nation, and along with arcades, they sell $13.5 billion worth of tickets annually. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov>.