A Look Back At The History Of Water Slides

Textbooks are full of information about all kinds of important events – wars, proclamations, innovations and population migrations. But what about equally as important, but perhaps more trivial, historical facts? For example, what about the history of water slides? It’s rare to meet someone these days who hasn’t experienced at least one water slide, whether a big one at an amusement park or a smaller inflatable version at a backyard party. And yet, they didn’t exist before the 20th century.

Recently, we tracked down some of the earliest examples of what was to become a centerpiece of amusement park entertainment: the mighty water slide. We found a few early examples of mankind’s commitment to having a good time while traveling at high speeds. Keep in mind that the invention of water slides includes the chutes, fiberglass pool slides and inflatables, so it’s not exactly a linear history… read more >