August 1, 2020 – Six Flags

On this day in 1961, the first Six Flags amusement park opened in Arlington, TX. It was called Six Flags Over Texas, and the name originally referred to the 6 different nations that have governed Texas (Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the United States, and the Confederate States of America).
The park was the brainchild of a wealthy real estate investor named Angus Wynne. After a visit to Disneyland in California, he decided his home state needed a local amusement park of its own. Planning for the park started in 1959, under Wynne’s leadership and with the backing of several investors. Construction began in August 1960.
The parks first season lasted only 45 days, but during that time it hosted 550,000 visitors. It was the first park to have a log flume ride and a mine train ride, and later the first to have a 360-degree looping rollercoaster and man-made river rapids ride. It also pioneered all-inclusive admission pricing. Before Six Flags, guests had to pay separately for admission and individual rides.
Six Flags introduced a new mascot named Mr. Six in 2004. In TV commercials, Mr. Six was an old man in a tuxedo and red bow tie who danced to the Vengaboys song “We Like to Party”. Though the park did not disclose the identity of the actor playing Mr. Six for years, it eventually came out that he was played by a choreographer named Danny Teeson, who was just 29 when the character was introduced!
Today, Six Flags owns the most theme parks and water parks combined for an amusement park company, operating 27 properties throughout North America.