# Abundance of early 20th century amusement parks named "Luna Park" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 9, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abundance-of-early-20th-century-amusement-parks-named-luna-park/535547 "2010-04-09T16:32:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abundance-of-early-20th-century-amusement-parks-named-luna-park/535547/1 "2010-04-09T16:32:20Z")
A simple question: why were so many turn-of-the-last-century era amusement parks named Luna Park? Cites: [http://www.defunctparks.com/parks/parks.htm](http://www.defunctparks.com/parks/parks.htm) (click on a state that would have been well-populated for the era) [List of defunct amusement parks - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_defunct_amusement_parks) There’s a lot of parks named White City in the time, too, but that’s probably because of the [Worlds Columbian Exposition](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_Columbian_Exposition#White_City) from what would have been a few years earlier. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abundance-of-early-20th-century-amusement-parks-named-luna-park/535547/2 "2010-04-09T17:42:35Z")
Here you are, > **[Frederick Ingersoll](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Ingersoll)** > > Frederick Ingersoll (1876 – October 23, 1927) was an American inventor, designer, builder and entrepreneur who created the world's first chain of amusement parks (known collectively as "Luna Parks" regardless of their actual name) and whose manufacturing company built 277 roller coasters, fueling the popularity of trolley parks in the first third of the twentieth century. Some of these parks and roller coasters still exist today. > Ingersoll was born in New Jersey, one of five brothers. By 1900, h... [http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08245/908516-42.stm](http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08245/908516-42.stm) The surprising thing is that there are still some parks of that name open in Australia. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abundance-of-early-20th-century-amusement-parks-named-luna-park/535547/3 "2010-04-09T17:47:59Z")
> **[Luna Park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_Park)** > > Luna Park is a name shared by dozens of currently operating and defunct amusement parks. They are named after, and partly based on, the first Luna Park, which opened in 1903 during the heyday of large Coney Island parks. Luna parks are small-scale attraction parks, easily accessed, potentially addressed to the permanent or temporary residential market, and located in the suburbs or even near the town center. Luna parks mainly offer classic funfair attractions (great wheel), newer features (elec... ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abundance-of-early-20th-century-amusement-parks-named-luna-park/535547/4 "2010-04-09T17:51:49Z")
[http://pdxhistory.com/html/luna\_park.html](http://pdxhistory.com/html/luna_park.html) [http://www.westland.net/coneyisland/articles/lunapark.htm](http://www.westland.net/coneyisland/articles/lunapark.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abundance-of-early-20th-century-amusement-parks-named-luna-park/535547/5 "2010-04-09T17:52:05Z")
Dang, now the Pet Shop Boys song of the same name is running through my head. Oh well, it’s a good song. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abundance-of-early-20th-century-amusement-parks-named-luna-park/535547/6 "2010-04-09T18:22:46Z")
A lot did have to to with the popularity of Luna Park on Coney Island. There were three major parks there – Steeplechase Park, Luna Park, and Dreamland – and the Coney Island Luna Park was the first.