If you’ve ever found yourself in New York City, looking for a place for fun rides, great food, and a festive atmosphere, chances are you headed to the legendary Coney Island. This staple of American amusement parks has been around for more than a century, and it has a long and interesting history. If you’ve ever been curious about where Coney Island got its name, how the Coney Island Mermaid came to be, or any other bit of fun trivia about this wonderful attraction, then you’re in the right place. We’ve packed this video full of great trivia about Coney Island that you might not know. So stick around, as Facts Verse presents: The Mysterious History of Coney Island New York.
It once held a brothel in the shape of an elephant
Nope, you didn’t mishear that. In 1885, a huge building in the shape of an elephant was built at the meeting of Surf Ave and W. 12th St. The elephant was seven stories tall, and built in a somewhat shady part of town. But this didn’t deter the original owners, who were trying to create a shopping and entertainment center, as well as a hotel, to revitalize the area. So originally, there were attractions like a concert hall and a museum. Above those were spiral staircases that ran up the length of the elephant’s legs, and into the several hotel rooms up top. The man who designed the building was named James Lafferty, and he had plenty of confidence about his vision. He casually referred to it as the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” But it soon became something far from wondrous. After a few years of operation, it slowly turned into a full on brothel. Which, oddly, fit the vibe of that neighborhood even better. It burned down in 1896, and we’re not sure that that’s a bad thing.
No one knows where the name came from
One of the more strange facts about Coney Island is that no one is quite sure how it got its name. The prevailing theory is that since the area was settled by Dutch immigrants in the 1600s, it might be traced back to their word for ‘rabbit’, which is konjin. The story goes that when these Dutch settlers first discovered the land, they noticed it was teeming with wild bunnies. So they started referring to it simply as konjin. Before the Dutch arrived, the land was owned by the Lenape tribe, but their name for it had nothing to do with Coney or with Konjin. They called it Narrioch, a Lenape word that translated to “land without shadows.” But this theory about the Dutch is just that… a theory. The true origin of Coney Island’s name has yet to be proved.
Carey Grant got his start at Coney Island
Cary Grant was a Hollywood legend, known for being one of the top leading male actors of this time. He starred in famous movies like To Catch a Thief, Notorious, and North by Northwest. And he was known for being a suave and well dressed celeb who played charming and lovable characters. And yet, his origins as a performer included some decidedly un-suave gigs, notably as an entertainer at Coney Island. In the 1920’s, Grant was hired to walk around the park in black pants, a jockey cap, and a green coat. Oh, and did we mention he did that while on 6-foot tall stilts? Not exactly what you’d expect from a future movie star, but everyone has to start somewhere!
Rollercoasters were first introduced to American tourists at Coney Island
The Switchback Railway was the brainchild of an Ohio born entrepreneur named LaMarcus Thompson. After riding an actual train, Pennsylvania’s Mauch Chuck Switchback Railway, Thompson had an inspiring thought: that people might enjoy this type of feeling at an amusement park. And thus he began designing his ride. It was finally erected in Coney Island in June of 1884. Of course, it doesn’t resemble modern rollercoasters very much, but it was the precursor to all of the wild and adventurous ones we have all over today. The Switchback Railway only went 6 miles per hour for about 600 feet, and it ran only by the pull of gravity. When the cars reached the end of the line, they were turned around pushed back to the beginning of the ride. It was perhaps not as exciting as rollercoasters became, but an important step in the amusement park world.
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Premature Babies
A mysterious man put up a public exhibit at Coney Island in 1903, with a sign that read, “Living Babies in Incubators.” It was a sideshow, one of many that could be found in that era of Coney Island. But the thing that made Dr. Martin Couney’s sideshow different was that it may have led to (or at least popularized) the development of many of the lifesaving techniques used to help premature babies today. Couney had rows of premature babies in the exhibit, lined up in rows of incubators. They were walled off in glass cases, so people couldn’t get too close. He also had several doctors and nurses tending to the babies, and any parents who had their babies there were offered the medical services free of charge. The exhibit was important, because it promoted Couney’s notion that premature babies weren’t a lost cause. While many in the medical profession at the time considered preemie’s to be too weak to survive, Couney believed they needed to be cared for intensely, and given a chance. Couney notably had a similar exhibition 30 years later at the Chicago World’s Fair, and after it, Chicago because the first US city to enact a health policy that took premature babies into account. One interesting side note is that it doesn’t appear that Dr. Martin Couney was an actual medical doctor. It was likely a stage name. But clearly he did a lot at his Coney Island exhibit to help the neonatal medical field!
For a while, the beaches weren’t open to the public
These days, the roughly three miles of beaches at Coney Island are a big part of the overall attraction. And tourists (and locals) are appreciative of the fact that they are all free, and open to the public. But this wasn’t always the case. In the early days of Coney Island, you had to go through a privately held bathhouse to access the ocean front. The fee was anywhere from a dime to a quarter (which was a fair amount in those days) and that allowed you to spend the day on the private beach. But in 1923, the city opened the public boardwalk, and the beaches immediately became free and open to the public.
Mardi Gras and Mermaids
One of the most famous attractions at Coney Island is the annual Mermaid Parade. It’s been going since 1983, and was founded by Dick Zigun, who refers to himself as the Mayor of Coney Island. The parade is a mix of nautical and mythical themes, and is led every year by a King Neptune and a Queen Mermaid. But the options are pretty unlimited for the average person’s costume. People come from all over, dressed in costumes that fit the general seafaring or magical theme. This will often include sea captains, or other mermaids, and more. And sometimes you’ll get an eyeful of skin from the more revealing costumes.
But interestingly enough, the famous Mermaid Parade wasn’t the first parade to grace the streets of Coney Island. From 1903 to 1954 the area held a huge festival that lasted a full week each year around Labor Day. And it was known as the Coney Island Mardi Gras Parade. And like the other Mardi Gras we’re more familiar with in New Orleans, it had plenty of music, floats, drunken revelry and more. But one nice element to it was that there was a charitable component. The Mission and Rescue Home for Wayward Girls had burned down in 1903, so the Coney Island Mardi Gras Parade was developed as a fundraising event to help rebuild it.
Frozen Custard was invented in Coney Island
The summer of 1919 was a particularly hot one. As such, the people selling ice cream at Coney Island were running into a daily issue: Their product was melting faster than they could sell it. Fortunately, Archie and Elton Kohr, two Coney Island locals, came up with a solution. They started to add egg yolks into the mixer as they made their ice cream. This gave the concoction a higher melting point, meaning it lasted a long longer in the hot New York summer. This was the (accidental) invention of a Coney Island staple, frozen custard.
Coney Island is a classic amusement park, beach, and cultural staple of America. For more than a century, it’s provided locals and tourists alike with fun in the sun, and memories to last a life time.
Now it’s time to hear from you. Which one of these wild facts about Coney Island was most surprising to hear about? Have you ever been there? Do you plan to go? Let us know in the comment section below. And before you go, make sure to give this video a like, and subscribe to Viewcation if you haven’t already. Click the bell icon to stay updated on all our latest content.