Amusement parks are a global phenomenon! Yet their meteoric rise is full of surprises. Like the fact that the first amusement park has its roots all the way back in 1133. And the fact that Catherine the Great is considered the forerunner of modern roller coasters with her "Russian Mountain" wooden slides in the 1800s! The Chicago World's Fair of 1893 inspires the birth of Coney Island, while a visit to a traditional merry-go-round inspires Walt Disney to make Disneyland. Once tubular steel is used instead of wood in the 1950s, roller coaster designers take rides to new extremes in the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s. After a decline in the early 2000s, the future of amusement parks is looking up, as visitors can now experience worlds like "The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter" where they can become characters in a larger story.