It’s National Rollercoaster Day today (August 16) and the summer holidays are the perfect time to take a fun ride at a theme park, and the nearest one to Birmingham is Alton Towers Resort.
They might seem like modern-day attractions but they have been around since the mid-1800s when railways built for carrying coal down from mountains in Pennsylvania, US, would be hired to passengers on the weekend who wanted to try it out. After all, humans do love fast machines!
People like the dopamine rush, according to Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Keele University Richard Stephens. He also wrote that it is a legal, mostly safe, and natural way to experience an high. While it is hard to pin down why people like rollercoasters, “a combination of speed, conquering fear and the positive effects associated with a massive rise in physiological arousal” are the usual reasons why people like them.
To celebrate the day, Alton Towers Resort has launched its ‘emotions in motion’ initiative, encouraging guests to ride rollercoasters to release endorphins, which gives you them an adrenaline-rush and sensation of ‘good fear’, as backed up by Lead Creative for Merlin Magic Making. The UK’s largest theme park - Alton Towers - is running a competition on its Facebook page inviting fans to share their best rollercoaster photos for a chance to win four tickets to the theme park.
Celebrities like a good rollercoaster just as much as the next person and Alton Towers Resort has released images from their archives - which include photos of the Royal Family, football and TV stars through the years. Here are 22 photos of celebrities aboard Alton Tower rollercoasters:
1. Prince Harry and William aboard an Alton Towers ride
2. Ex-Footballer Robbie Fowler aboard the Runaway Mine Train
3. Singer songwriter Olly Murs on The Smiler
4. Wayne and Colleen Rooney go on a wild ride at Alton Towers