First rollercoaster

The first rollercoaster was Nicholas Beaujon's Promenades Aériennes, located on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, France. It was opened to the public in the spring of 1817, and similar "French Mountains" soon became an international sensation.

The design was based on the concept established by "Russian Mountains" – large artificial ice-slides that had become popular in the Russian Empire in the 18th century – but instead of sliding down a chute of polished ice, the riders were carried by three-wheeled cars that ran along a set of undulating wooden tracks descending from a central tower.

The Promenades Aériennes was the centerpiece of the "Jardin Beaujon", a pleasure garden in the heart of Paris operated by businessman Nicholas Beaujon.