Who built the first rollercoaster?

Credit for building the first roller coaster in the world, generally goes to Catherine the Great, from Russia, in 1784. As was the custom at that time, there are no records of those who actually built the structure, only of the ruler who ordered the construction.

In the United States, John G. Taylor is credited with building the first roller coaster. However, LaMarcus Adna Thompson frequently is given that honor, because he was the first person to commercialize the idea. Thompson filed his first roller coaster patent on January 20, 1885.