The Cyclone at Coney Island tops every list of the world’s greatest roller coasters and it’s easy to see why. The 2,640 feet of track will blow your mind, especially the exciting 85-foot drop, but the Cyclone is so much more. Enjoy these classic photos, stories and celebrity sightings that have made the Cyclone the icon that it is today as it celebrates its birthday today. It opened on June 26, 1927!
Rumor has it that the Cyclone is so intense that a mute named Emilio Franco uttered his first words on the Cyclone: “I feel sick!”
Since the ride opened on June 26, 1927, people haven’t been able to get enough of it. Its place in Brooklyn’s history and pop culture can’t be denied.
- Charles Lindbergh, who flew the first solo transatlantic airplane flight in 1927, loved the Cyclone saying, “A ride on the Cyclone is a greater thrill than flying an airplane at top speed”.
- The famous ride even made an appearance in ‘Captain America: The First Avenger‘
Bucky Barnes: Remember when I made you ride the Cyclone at Coney Island?
Steve Rogers/Captain America: Yeah, and I threw up?
Bucky Barnes: This isn’t payback is it?
Steve Rogers/Captain America: Now why would I do that? - Beyonce loves the Cyclone.
- The Cyclone became a National Historic Landmark in 1991.
The Gravesend Historical Society’s president wrote in a letter requesting the landmark status: - “Unlike the Dodgers, the Cyclone will never leave Brooklyn.”
- Hopefully the Brooklyn Cyclones minor league team won’t leave either.
- The Cyclone was built after brothers Jack and Irving Rosenthal invested $175,000 to create more attractions in Brooklyn.
