Photo by Mike Johnson
Monday, June 26, 2017, marks the 90th birthday of the Coney Island Cyclone, easily one of the most iconic and beloved landmarks in Brooklyn. Although the history of Coney Island has had its ups and downs (pun intended), the Cyclone has stood tall through it all, offering thrill seekers a rush of adrenaline, an incredible view and a check off the Brooklyn bucket list.
If the Cyclone is still on your list, there’s no better time to go than this weekend. This Sunday, a block party is planned to celebrate the Cyclone’s big birthday where you can rub elbows with the likes of rapper Fabolous, the Harlem Globetrotters and other semi-famous, local roller coaster aficionados – and just regular ones too!
To whet your appetite, here’s a taste of the first drop of the ride!
Although most of us can rattle off some basic pop culture references to the Cyclone (Beyoncé made that very easy), here we’ve rounded up your need-to-know facts to really earn you local cred.
The Cyclone: By the Numbers
- Length of track: 2,640 feet
- Ride speed: Up to 60 mph
- Number of drops: 12
- Max drop: 85 feet
- Ride length: One minute, 50 seconds
- Minimum height to ride: 54 inches tall
- Today’s cost: $10
- Original cost: $0.25
- Number of deaths: 3
The Cyclone in Pop Culture
With countless pop culture references, the Cyclone is deeply ingrained in the Brooklyn mythology and lore. Here we’ve highlighted some seminal Cyclone moments in pop culture.
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- In 1978 film “The Wiz,” the Cyclone serves as the home of the Tin Man.
- Scar-Face, the infamous GI Joe villain, uses a utility shed under the Cyclone as a hideout
- The despondent, teen cult classic “Requiem for a Dream” heavily features the Cyclone and Coney Island, though no explicit reference to the roller coaster is made.
- Beyoncé gave the Cyclone a jolt of pop stardom attention when she shot a portion of her music video for the song “XO” on the roller coaster in August 2013.
Famous Cyclone Fans
- Although Beyoncé is the Cyclone’s most recent celebrity patroness, the ride was attracting the attention of major stars as early as the 1920s. Even popular trans-Atlantic pilot Charles Lindbergh was an avid fan and is quoted as saying “A ride on the Cyclone is a greater thrill than flying an airplane at top speed.”
- The demure celeb duo Grace Kelly and pal Jean-Pierre Aumont took a spin on the Cyclone in the summer of 1955
Grace Kelly Jean-Pierre Aumont. (Source: A Slice of Brooklyn)
- Although there is no visual record of Woody Allen riding the Cyclone, the notoriously neurotic New Yorker is a Coney Island native and included a shot of the Thunderbolt, the Cyclone’s sister coaster, in the intro to “Annie Hall.”
- Iconic New York City punk pair, Patti Smith and Richard Mapplethorpe knew a local gem when they saw one and spent time on the Coney Island boardwalk and at the Cyclone (below)
Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe. (Source: A Slice of Brooklyn)
- Norman Mailer was never daunted by much including the front row of the Cyclone.
Norman Mailer, riding the Cyclone. (Source: NYT)
- Michael Jackson played the Scarecrow in “The Wiz.” but apparently the Cyclone didn’t faze him.
Rita Ora is as fierce as they come. No surprise she’s a Cyclone fan, too.(Source: Daily Mail)
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