I came across some interesting sites for roller coaster history.  Check out ultimaterollercoaster.com and rollercoasterfans.com.  Interestingly enough, I came across these while looking up information on those ancient Sunliner trams in use at HersheyParkedByPole843 (turns out they’re not that ancient; they’re circa 1995).

Interesting tidbits …

… the Phoenix at Knoebles Grove is almost 60 years old.  It was originally built in 1947.  HersheyParkWhereverYouCan’s Comet is one year older.
… The Bat was the first suspended coaster.  Opened in 1981.  Who knew.
… The world’s first looping coaster, unnamed, opened in 1846 in Frascati Garden.  No restraints.
… Up until the early 70s, most coasters had no restraints.  Lap bars were introduced in the early 70s, seat belts & restraints in the late 70s.
… Disney’s Space Mountain opened in 1975 and was the first indoor coaster.
… There were over 2,000 roller coasters operating in the 1920s - far, far more than today.
… Pretty much every coaster at HersheyPark is a mass-produced “franchise” ride.  Sidewinder is an Arrow Dynamics “Boomerang” (same company behind the Trailblazer); Wild Mouse is an Ingenieur portable “Wild Mouse”; Storm Runner is an Intamin “Launch”, but it *is* the first full-circuit Launch (ordinarily they’re like Sidewinder; launch out, come back).  Great Bear is original, but had some construction problems because — surprise — nobody realized there was a creek running through the park.

Check them out.  Good stuff.