5 Theme Park Rides That Pushed the Limits of Common Sense

Thrill rides are designed to trick our bodies and brains into thinking we are in mortal danger. And usually it is just that—a trick that causes an exhilarating surge in our adrenaline levels. But in the quest for bigger and better thrills, some rides attempt to betray the laws of physics. And while these rides are usually well-designed, safe attractions—just so big and awe-inspiring that they are frightening—some of them are simply dangerous. Here are five of the biggest, baddest and scariest rides of all time.

By Seth Porges

1. Loopiest Water Slide

Cannonball Loop (aka the Looping Water Slide), Action Park

Action Park was a place of legends. A spectacular orgy of thrills and danger that, due to pesky things such as insurance companies and basic common sense, will likely never be recreated.

The park, which was open from 1978 to 1996, was loaded with rides that seemed intent on pushing the limits of physics. At least six people died at the hands of the parks attractions, and countless more were injured (earning the park the affectionate nicknames "Accident Park," "Traction Park" and "Class-Action Park"). But nothing quite symbolized the park's flirtation with danger like the Cannonball Loop—a ride that is better known simply as the Looping Water Slide.

We first came face to face with the monstrous tubular blue circle as children visiting the park in the late 1980s. The loop wasn't open to the public at that point, but we distinctly remember park employees taking turns on the inertia-driven ride. In fact, in the years that it stood taunting the park's thrill seekers, it was barely open to the public at all. But its imposing presence earned it countless unverified rumors: As a child, we heard that they had to close it because some kid got stuck at the top, that crash test dummies they sent down the ride came out dismembered and that the park staff were given cash to act as human guinea pigs. As adults, we were unable to verify these rumors, but many are repeated on Wikipedia.

And then there's the fact that the ride's radical design seems to betray a lack of an understanding of basic physics. To wit: The ride runs through a perfect circle. Early-roller coaster engineers toyed with this design, with disastrous results. The high g-forces that are exerted when entering and exiting the inversion of a perfect circular loop are enough to break a person's neck (this is why all roller-coaster loops are elliptical or corkscrew-shaped). If the slide's few passengers were injured, this could partly have been to blame.

Action Park closed in 1996 and with it, the Cannonball Loop was dismantled. Since then, at least one other looping water slide has popped up, this time, in Germany. From the looks of it, it's far more professional, with elliptical-shaped loops.

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