42 AUGUST 2022 HOW TALL? HOW LONG? HOW FAST? ORIGINS In the 15th century, Russians built giant, wooden slides – some up to 70 feet tall and 100 feet long – covered in slick ice. While mounted on an ice block with a straw seat, riders could reach up to 50 miles per hour. Popularized in upper-class circles, Catherine II of Russia had one installed on her property – but hers wasn’t limited to winter enjoyment. It had wheels that fit into grooved wooden rails allowing the thrill to continue into the summer months. The Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway was a gravity railway built in 1827 to haul coal about nine miles between coal mines in the Pennsylvania mountains. Gravity forced the cars, carrying one-and- a-half tons of coal, downhill, which mules brought back up when emptied. With that much weight behind them, they could reach 50 miles per hour through the Lehigh Valley. In 1873, at its peak, Mauch Chunk carried 30,478 passengers – each for just 75 cents. In 1884, Adna Thompson invented the Switchback Gravity Railway, a patented coaster that visitors to Brooklyn’s Coney Island could ride for just five cents. The coasters were gravity-powered, slow-moving cars that faced outward rather than forward, so one could enjoy a constructed scene as the car coasted at less than six miles per hour. These scenes were built to emulate landscapes worldwide, such as the Swiss Alps or the Venetian canals. – rollercoastermuseum.org 465 Feet DID YOU KNOW? ROLLER COASTERS The Formula Rossa roller coaster at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi goes from zero to 149 miles per hour in just 4.9 seconds. According to their website, riders peak at a maximum height of 170 feet and get an adrenaline rush worth 4.8 G’s. – statista.com 149 MPH The Kingda Ka roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, goes from zero to 128 miles per hour in only 3.5 seconds; riders speed up the rails 45 stories high at a 90-degree angle. – sixflags.com 149 149 149 Popularized in upper-class circles, Catherine II of Russia had one 465 465 465 The Kingda Ka roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, goes from zero to 128 miles per hour in only 3.5 seconds; riders speed up the rails 45 stories high at a 90-degree angle. When it opened on August 1, 2000, the Steel Dragon 2000 in Japan was the fastest, tallest and longest coaster in the world. At 1.5 miles long, riders stay on this coaster for four minutes. – statista.com 1.5 MILES 1.5 1.5 1.5 Phone orders taken till 10:00pm Monday thru Saturday. 602-840-0630 20% off any order over $12.00! Offer expires 8/31/22. Valid with coupon only. Present coupon at time of purchase. May not be combined with any other offer. 1 coupon per person. Valid at all 8 locations. No cash value. Coupon cannot be reproduced. Burgers, Dogs, Burritos! Scrumptious Fish & Chips! Best Chicken Nuggets & Tenders! Fresh Breaded Onion Rings! Children’s Menus at All Locations! Drive Thru/Take-Out is Our Specialty! 4121 N. 44th St., Phoenix Cash only. ATM on Patio. VOTED BEST LOCAL BURGER IN THE EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE 2020 VOTED BEST SEAFOOD IN THE GLENDALE STAR 2020 VOTED BEST SEAFOOD IN THE EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE 2021 VOTED BEST SEAFOOD IN THE WEST VALLEY VIEW 2021

43 AUGUST 2022 WORD SEARCH ABU DHABI ADNA THOMPSON CEDAR POINT CONEY ISLAND FORMULA ROSSA GRAVITY KINETIC ENERGY KINGDA KA RAIL WAY ROLLER COASTER RON TOOMER RUSSIA SIX FLAGS STEEL STEEL DRAGON SWITCH BACK TAKABISHA WOODEN FUN FACTS –mentalfloss.com SAY WHAT? I Q N D B E Z Z U Z D Y G N H T X L O A Q U H S J N E T G V D A C L N O A U F B X I I J H I U L K R V E K N R H T Z W L A W D M J V C S J Q I A A W T B C A O C A C K I H W L A O T E O F C J A X Q X C J P D T H O V K S U A I G P N Q N Y J Q Y N E P H P A I S S U R I D D B A D G M A E E C T K T R G M R P U Q J D B N T G X R T S W D Y U Q K K E U R A P N M U B A T E H Y U K Q W O W I B N P M B G O S H X K O K C Q T X V C A H I S P S O U O B A L O S M O B A V R D I W A B W P T M P L T O H E K K B O L X T I C K N C C C V Z B C L B A T G T H I I P R F E A C H T O E Z T Z Q W H O T N J Y Z M X I Z A W Z B H I F G N C A E Z A B C O D B A Y E R C H L M M D O W A A E C S Q U I A R E S A X Z O G W I U Y X E K T D R R B E J K K C M A D D O L R H I Z M V E A I G I D G V Q D C Y K Y N E H L D W P W T R K N A N D J L Y G F C A J Z A U N E F Z O T H T O E E I G L Q E B O V B I R T F T R D W J O W N U F Z W B D F K E T M U S P H P L C G O B F D H N L L Y O R A N X T W D K C O C S O H G N O S E N N F H S A N K H G S H E G M G C A P I C H U Y N U E A G A K L A D F A U V P L Z S R H C N H B N D H R H A S U M M M B Z V S O J T S T E E L T S L I M H F H F A E J I A C O K A E K S G A L F X I S P W K L E F S C U T U N L E R P Z Y D Q T Z C D E Q B F H ROLLER COASTERS DISLODGE KIDNEY STONES While wearing a backpack containing a transparent, 3D-printed kidney with a fake stone inside, researchers rode Disney World’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad coaster about 20 times to study how the stone would move with all the ups and downs. About two-thirds of the time, the kidney stone passed – as long as the rider was seated at the back of the coaster. – bbc.com August 16th is National Roller Coaster Day in the USA. Liking roller coasters may have to do with your brain chemistry. Higher levels of dopamine, which are neurotransmitters associated with reward-motivated behavior, are linked to sensation-seeking activities. Leap-The-Dips in Altoona, Pennsylvania, is a wooden rollercoaster built in 1902 that still operates. It goes ten miles an hour and doesn’t have seatbelts, lap bars or headrests. During the busy season, rides at major theme parks may be tested at least three times a day. Ron Toomer, the American engineer credited with pioneering steel roller coasters, had severe motion sickness. Most roller coasters don’t have engines. The greatest number of different roller coasters ridden in a 24-hour period is 74, by Philip A. Guarno, Adam Spivak, John R. Kirkwood and Aaron Monroe Rye (all in the USA) on August 9, 2001. You’re likelier to die tumbling off your bed than getting seriously injured on a roller coaster. The Smiler at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England has 14 inversions, the most in the world. Six Flags Magic Mountain in California has 18 roller coasters, the most in the world. At 401 hours, Richard Rodriguez holds the record for most consecutive hours spent on roller coasters. That chain noise you hear on the ride up the hill is actually a safety device to keep the car from rolling back. The Takabisha in Fuji-Q Highland, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan has a 121 degree vertical drop. The slowest roller coaster in the world is known by the name of ‘Tiger and Turtle’ in Duisburg, Germany. Steel roller coasters are considered to be safer than their wooden counterparts. Roller coasters have two hills to make the ride longer and convert the available potential energy into kinetic energy, which makes the ride more exciting. DID YOU KNOW? ROLLER COASTERS The greatest number of different roller coasters ridden in a 24-hour period is During the busy season, rides at major theme parks may be tested at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California has 18 roller coasters, the most in of the time, the kidney stone passed – as long as the rider was seated at I Q N D B E Z Z U Z D Y G N H T X L O A N E T G V D A C L N O A U F B X I I J H V E K N R H T Z W L A W D M J V C S J Q B C A O C A C K I H W L A O T E O F C J J P D T H O V K S U A I G P N Q N Y J Q P A I S S U R I D D B A D G M A E E C T R P U Q J D B N T G X R T S W D Y U Q K P N M U B A T E H Y U K Q W O W I B N P H X K O K C Q T X V C A H I S P S O U O M O B A V R D I W A B W P T M P L T O H L X T I C K N C C C V Z B C L B A T G T F E A C H T O E Z T Z Q W H O T N J Y Z W Z B H I F G N C A E Z A B C O D B A Y M M D O W A A E C S Q U I A R E S A X Z Y X E K T D R R B E J K K C M A D D O L V E A I G I D G V Q D C Y K Y N E H L D K N A N D J L Y G F C A J Z A U N E F Z E E I G L Q E B O V B I R T F T R D W J Z W B D F K E T M U S P H P L C G O B F Y O R A N X T W D K C O C S O H G N O S S A N K H G S H E G M G C A P I C H U Y A K L A D F A U V P L Z S R H C N H B N S U M M M B Z V S O J T S T E E L T S L F A E J I A C O K A E K S G A L F X I S F S C U T U N L E R P Z Y D Q T Z C D E Get Screened for Risks of Stroke and Cardiovascular Disease Are you at risk? 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