On June 16, 1884, Sunday school teacher and part-time inventor LaMarcus Adna Thompson unveiled his greatest creation to the waiting crowds at Coney Island. Reportedly inspired by the switchback gravity-driven railways used in the coal mines of Pennsylvania, Thompson’s amusement ride featured two wooden structures that ran parallel to one another. Riders piled into cars sitting sideways and went up and down the wooden hills at the breakneck speed of 6 miles per hour, propelled only by gravity. The ride was so popular that it took in nearly $600 dollars a day, despite only costing a nickel to ride. Within three weeks, the ride had paid for itself. Dubbed the “Scenic Railway,” it was America’s first roller coaster.

The use of gravity, and the sound of joyous screams, are probably the only things that connect the Scenic Railway of yesteryear to the high-tech rollers coasters of today. Despite the fact that coasters are continuously getting taller and faster, there are still a few oldies-but-goodies out there.

Here are six roller coasters that made history and can still be ridden today: