Name______________________________ Date__________________

1. Name______________________________ Date__________________ Read each paragraph and write the main idea in the box for each one. LaMarcusAdna Thompson-Father of Gravity LaMarcusAdna Thompson was born in 1848. When he was young he enjoyed building things. When he was 17, he was a master carpenter. He went to college and then began working. He became ill and decided to start inventing. In 1884 he invented the first roller coaster at Coney Island, New York. He was inspired by the railroad cars used to move coal in coal mines. The roller coaster traveled about six miles per hour and cost a nickel to ride. The new entertainment was an instant success and by 1900 there were hundreds of roller coasters around the country. History has dubbed Thompson the “Father of Gravity,” as his coasters only used gravity to move them. For the Coney Island ride, ten people at a time climbed a flight of stairs to a tower where they boarded a train car. Riders then coasted down 600 feet at about 6 miles per hour, then climbed another flight of stairs to a second tower. The train car was “switched back” to a return track, and the riders coasted back to where they began. Thompson continued to improve his designs and by 1888 had built 50 roller coasters. He died in 1919, but will always be known as a pioneer in the world of roller coasters.

2. Name_______________________ Date__________________________ Answer the questions using the passage. What did LaMarcus Thompson invent? _______________________ Underline where you found the answer in the text. What paragraph?____________ When was he born?___________ Underline the answer in the text. What paragraph? ____ How much did it cost to ride the first roller coaster?___________ Underline where you found the answer in the text. What paragraph?______ Why was Thompson called the “Father of Gravity”? _______________________________ ________________________________________________________Underline where you found your answer in the text. What paragraph? ______ When did Thompson die?_____________ Underline where you found your answer in the text. What paragraph? _________ Why do you think people enjoy roller coasters so much?____________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________