--- description: On the anniversary of the Cyclone roller coaster's 87th birthday, photos that celebrate the unique, messy, vibrant energy of Coney Island. title: Coney Island: Classic Photos From America's Original Playground image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltea5bb0e8fa4857c3/69884c07cd1bba4fd86fae8a/140619-coney-island-09.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Great Places](/tag/great-places/) ## Great Places Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Coney Island: Classic Photos From America's Original Playground by [Ben Cosgrove](/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 24, 2014 4:31 PM CUT  Coney Island, 1949. Coney Island, 1949.Andreas Feininger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images by [Ben Cosgrove](/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 24, 2014 4:31 PM CUT Not many places in America have, for so long, been so dedicated to the pursuit of fun as the mile-long stretch along the southern edge of Brooklyn known as [Coney Island](http://www.coneyisland.com/ "undefined"). Luna Park, [Astroland](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroland "undefined"), the world-famous Cyclone roller coaster — for well over a century, these names helped define what amusement parks were, while their attractions and thrills still inform what summertime entertainment looks, feels and sounds like. Here, on the anniversary of the Cyclone’s 87th birthday — the legendary wooden coaster opened for business on June 26, 1927 — LIFE.com presents a series of pictures that celebrate the unique, messy, vibrant energy of Coney Island. Even today, after decades of ups and downs, there’s no place else quite like it. _Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter_ [_@lizabethronk_](https://twitter.com/LizabethRonk "undefined")_._  Coney Island, New York, 1944. Marie Hansen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  The Coney Island Cyclone, 1944. Marie Hansen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Coney Island, 1943. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Coney Island, 1949. Andreas Feininger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Coney Island, 1943. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Coney Island, 1949. Andreas Feininger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Coney Island, 1943. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  The Gryro Globe ride, a metal monster which simultaneously spun and tilted its victims, Coney Island, 1949. Andreas Feininger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Coney Island, 1949. Andreas Feininger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Coney Island, 1943. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Coney Island, 1943. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Coney Island, 1943. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  The Parachute Jump along the boardwalk at Coney Island, 1951. Margaret Bourke-White—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Coney Island, 1942. William Vandivert—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Coney Island, 1943. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Coney Island, 1949. Andreas Feininger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Coney Island, 1942. William Vandivert—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Coney Island, 1949. Andreas Feininger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Coney Island, 1942. William Vandivert—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3880271/coney-island-classic-photos-from-americas-original-playground/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3880271/coney-island-classic-photos-from-americas-original-playground/"},"headline":"Coney Island: Classic Photos From America's Original Playground","datePublished":"2014-06-24T16:31:35.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:47:34.445Z","description":"LIFE.com presents a series of pictures that celebrate the unique, messy, vibrant energy of Coney Island.","url":"https://time.com/3880271/coney-island-classic-photos-from-americas-original-playground/","keywords":["Great Places","Newsfeed","photography","Brooklyn","Culture","Ben Cosgrove","Liz Ronk","coney island"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltea5bb0e8fa4857c3/69884c07cd1bba4fd86fae8a/140619-coney-island-09.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Ben Cosgrove","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltea5bb0e8fa4857c3/69884c07cd1bba4fd86fae8a/140619-coney-island-09.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Coney Island 1949","caption":"Coney Island, 1949","creditText":"Andreas Feininger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/great-places/","name":"Great Places"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3880271/coney-island-classic-photos-from-americas-original-playground/","name":"Coney Island: Classic Photos From America's Original Playground"}}]}] ```