Disneyland Facts
Disneyland Facts
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| Interesting Disneyland Facts: |
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| Walt Disney had the idea of the park for many years before it was built. He dreamed of the park being built on eight acres beside Burbank Studios in California. World War II put those plans on hold. |
| In the early 1950s Walt Disney decided to go ahead with his plans after a survey found a larger, more appropriate site for his park. |
| Construction began on Disneyland only one year before it opened. |
| Walt Disney designed five different 'lands' for Disneyland. These included Main Street, U.S.A.; Adventureland; Frontierland; Fantasyland; and Tomorrowland. |
| For opening day, the $17 million Disneyland park had been prepared for 6,000 invited guests. Tickets were counterfeited and more than 28,000 people showed up. The day, although memorable for Walt Disney, was an epic disaster for the park itself. |
| On opening day, with more than 20,000 uninvited guests in attendance on top of the 6,000 invited guests, and temperatures as high as 110 degrees Fahrenheit, food and drink ran out, wet asphalt trapped high heels and the Mark Twain Steamboat nearly toppled from the large number of passengers. |
| Disneyland recovered quickly from its opening day disasters, and went on to become a popular park for adults and children alike. |
| The opening event was covered and televised nationwide by three of Walt Disney's friends, including Ronald Reagan, an actor and future United States President. |
| Early rides at Disneyland included Snow White's Adventures, Jungle Cruise, Stage Coach, and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. On opening day there were already 20 rides to enjoy. |
| Within only 10 years of opening day, Walt Disney's Disneyland had greeted more than 50 million guests. To date it has welcomed well over 650 million people. |
| Disneyland is open year round, and in 2013 alone it welcomed more than 16 million guests. |
| In 2005 it was estimated that Disneyland Resort employs more than 65,700 people. |
| Today Disneyland Park covers 85 acres. It includes eight themed 'lands' which include the five mentioned previously and New Orleans Square (1966), Bear Country (1972), and Mickey's Toontown (1993). In 2015 a new land, called Star Wars Land, was announced. It will be 14 acres in size. |
| One land called Holidayland opened in 1957 but it closed in 1961. |
| Disneyland has a railroad circumnavigating the entire park called Disneyland Railroad. |
| In 1982 Disneyland dropped the individual ticketing system for rides and offered the single admission for unlimited rides and attractions. |
| Walt Disney died in 1966 at the age only 65. His legacy will likely live on forever not only through his theme parks but his movies, and characters that have entertained multiple generations. |
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