https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-psychology-of-roller-coasters/ > The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. > Roller coasters may seem like a very modern type of entertainment—constantly getting bigger, faster and scarier thanks to advances in technology. But they actually date back to the mid-1800s. Gravity-propelled railways built to transport coal from up in the mountains down to the town in Pennsylvania, US, were hired out at weekends by fare-paying passengers riding purely for the fun of it.