January 15, 1975 – The Thrill Ride Attraction Space Mountain Opens in Walt Disney World
“Hurtle through the cosmos to the edge of the galaxy and back!”
On January 15, 1975, the Tomorrowland thrill ride attraction Space Mountain opened in Walt Disney World. The attraction traces its creation to the Matterhorn Bobsleds, with its popularity proving to Walt and WED that thrill attractions did have their place in Disneyland. Space Mountain was then conceived, but forced aside when Imagineers ran into problems of design and space, but was brought back and built for Walt Disney World. RCA was contacted to sponsor the attraction, which provided additional funding to complete the attraction. The attraction is an indoor rollercoaster set in the dark, with a space theme to add to the interest. The popularity of the attraction has seen versions built in other Disney parks: Disneyland (opening May 4, 1977), Tokyo Disneyland (opening April 15, 1983), Hong Kong Disneyland (opening September 12, 2005), and Disneyland Paris (opening June 1, 1995).