Coney island is famous for its amusement parks.
Coney Island once used to be an island located on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, but the narrow tidal creek that separated Coney Island from the mainland was filled in, and the two were joined. Coney Island became an attraction for tourists sometimes in the middle of the 19th century, and is now a destination spot, and home to many attractions.
European Explorers
The first European to set eyes on Coney Island was likely Henry Hudson, along with the crew of his ship, the "Half-Moon". They first saw Coney Island in 1609, before continuing on to explore New York harbor and other areas of the Atlantic coast of North America. Folklore has it that the Native Americans who inhabited Coney Island at the time killed Henry Hudson's right-hand man, John Coleman, upon their exploratory landing.
First Hotels
Coney Island is close to New York, a major urban center, yet far enough away that it seems like a vacation, especially back in the 19th century. That, along with the beaches, attracted crowds, and soon enough hotels were being built to house tourists looking to get away for the weekend. The first one went up in 1840, but soon more opulent hotels were built, along with hotels that catered to a more corrupt clientele. This motif, of opulence and just a bit of corruption, would help to define Coney Island in the coming decades.
First Tourist Attractions
With so many tourists flocking to Coney island, people started building and inventing to entertain the crowds. The hot dog, for instance, was invented at Coney island in 1867 by Charles Feltman. New technologies, like Camera Obscura installations and theaters in the 19th century helped bring in more tourists. What is considered by many to be the first American roller-coaster opened in 1884, though it was only a railroad across an uneven surface, and would not qualify as a roller-coaster today. Two different opened in 1895. All these attractions were another formative part of Coney island history.
Rapid Transit
One event that really helped elevate Coney Island from a weekend getaway spot to the tourist attraction it is today is the Subway expansion that first connected Coney Island to the rest of New York. Plans began in 1913 and the terminal was being used by 1918. Shortly after, in 1920, Coney Island got its first ferris wheel, other attractions like, a proper roller coaster with hills, curves and twists, in the following years.
Downfall
Coney island was an immensely popular tourist destination in the earlier part of the 20th century. But as 1920s and 1930s came and went, Coney island lost a great deal of its popularity. High rise apartments replaced many of the areas occupied by amusements in the 1950s, Many of the apartments have since fallen in to decay, however, and today Coney island is home to many of the elderly and the poor.
Revitalization
In recent decades Coney island has seen a certain amount of revitalization. Events like the Mermaid Parade, which was founded in 1983 by a not-for-profit group, have drawn crowds back to Coney island. The parade is styled around the Mardi Gras events that happened annually in Coney island from 1903 to 1954, and is meant to celebrate Coney island's unique history.
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