en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caterpillar_(ride)
1 correction found
Early permanent installations debuted at Kennywood in 1923 and at Coney Island in 1925.
The Coney Island date is too late. Trade-publication coverage shows a Coney Island Caterpillar was already being built for the 1923 season and was being discussed as Coney Island's new ride in March 1923.
Full reasoning
This sentence gets the Coney Island timing wrong.
Two contemporary Billboard items place Coney Island's Caterpillar in 1923, not 1925:
- In the November 25, 1922 issue, Traver Engineering advertised the Caterpillar under the headline "NEW RIDES FOR 1923" and said "Caterpillars are now being built for Coney Island ... We are now contracting for April delivery." That shows the Coney Island installation was already in production for the 1923 season.
- In the March 24, 1923 issue, Billboard reported: "Coney Island's new 'Caterpillar' ride is causing considerable activity ... The 'Caterpillar' is one of the biggest rides ever to be seen in New York." That is direct contemporaneous evidence that Coney Island had a new Caterpillar in 1923.
So while Kennywood's 1923 date may be correct, the clause "and at Coney Island in 1925" is contradicted by 1922-1923 trade coverage.
2 sources
- The Billboard, November 25, 1922
NEW RIDES FOR 1923 ... Caterpillars are now being built for Coney Island ... We are now contracting for April delivery.
- The Billboard, March 24, 1923
Coney Island's new “Caterpillar” ride is causing considerable activity ... The “Caterpillar” is one of the biggest rides ever to be seen in New York.