One of the first “roller-coaster” rides in the U.S. was actually a short coal railway in Pennsylvania that hauled coal downhill between mines and used mules to bring the empty cars back up the hill.

Eighth-grade engineering students uses physics principles to build marble roller coasters at Pleasantville Middle School in Westchester County, NY.

The world of roller coasters is an exciting one. The towering steel (or sometimes wooden) tracks stand like giant beacons within their respective theme parks. They beckon for adventurous riders to ...