On May 27, 1972, Kings Island amusement park opened. Two million people visited the 150-acre park in its first season.

Now a Warren County landmark, Kings Island is Ohio's most popular amusement park. It has been the site of many thrilling firsts.

In 1975, motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel jumped over 14 Greyhound buses in the parking lot, setting a world record.

In 1977, the Screamin' Demon made its debut as the first roller coaster in the country to loop forward then backward. When the Beast opened in 1979, it was the longest wooden roller coaster in the world. The world's first suspended roller coaster - the Bat - opened in 1981. In 1984, the park featured the first stand-up, looping roller coaster in North America - King Cobra. In 1987 the Vortex became the first steel coaster in the country to turn riders upside down six times. And in 2000, Kings Island introduced Son of Beast - the world's tallest, fastest and only looping wooden roller coaster.

- Rebecca Goodman

E-mail: rgoodman@enquirer.com or call (513) 768-8361.