subject: History Of Disneyland [print this page] It was a man named Walt Disney and his vision to create a place, where children and parents could have fun together that made Disneyland a reality. It is because of his vision that we have Disneyland, a theme park full of his imagination and charm. Out of all of Walt Disneys achievements, Disneyland remains the best appreciated. If you have ever had the opportunity to visit Disneyland, you will see the time and effort that has been put into each and every attraction to make it the best theme park in the world. Disneyland is the world's most visited amusement park, and rightly so. The park has been made for both adults and children; hence it captures the curiosity of both. Disneyland has a wonderful and vivid history as well.
Disneyland might have started out as a dream, but there was a lot of research and work involved in creating it. It had to be perfect on all counts, as after all this is where Mickey Mouse and all the other Disney characters live. In 1950, Walt Disney got the idea to build Disneyland, and subsequently in 1954, he hired a research team to help him find the best place to make his dream of Disneyland come true. The initial plan was to buy 8 acres of land as a relaxation spot, but Walt soon realized that for his huge vision 8 acres would not suffice. This led him to purchase 160 acres in near a semi-rural area in California orange grove near the junction of the Santa Ana Freeway and Harbor Boulevard. Even though acquiring funds was a problem, Walt soon came overcame all the odds and the construction of Disneyland began later in 1954. According to him I could never convince the financiers that Disneyland was feasible, because dreams offer too little collateral. Walt and his brother Roy mortgaged everything they owned and still were short of money. Which is when ABC TV guaranteed a sum of 6 million in exchange for a part in the ownership. Finally, the construction of Disneyland was on a roll. The construction began on July 21st 1954 and after one entire year of nonstop construction and dealing with all kinds of unexpected setbacks, Disneyland was finally threw its doors open to the American public.
Disneyland started out with five lands
1. Main Street
2. Adventureland
3. Fantasyland
4. Tomorrowland and
5. Frontierland
On July 17th, 1955, a Sunday, select invited guests arrived for the first time. But this Sunday came to be known as a Black Sunday and would forever exist as a blemish in the history of Disneyland. Everything that could go wrong went wrong; (this was the day before the official opening.)
1. Due to counterfeit tickets, the numbers of guests that turned up were much more than originally intended.
2. On the 17th there was a heat wave making the climate unbearably hot, and to make matters worse, the plumbers chose to go on strike on the same ill-fortuned day, resulting in the non-functioning of the water fountains and restrooms.
3. Vendors soon ran out of food.
4. Some rides were shut down due to excess crowd.
Without doubt, this was one of the worst days Disneyland ever faced. Many reviewers expected Disneyland to be bankrupt and shut down because of its disastrous beginning.
But this was not to be, Disneyland soon became the best theme park known by all. By managing all its problems beautifully, Disneyland stood on its feet and became successful engaging about 50 million visitors within its first 10 years. There was a huge expansion in the 1990s and early 2000s, and similar parks opened up in Hong-Kong, Paris and Florida; the Disneyland at California is referred to as the original park. Walt Disney also mentioned that the construction and expansion of Disneyland will never be complete as long as there is imagination left in the world. Disneyland is known as the happiest place on earth, as this is where all the Disney characters come alive. This is an unforgettable place where all kinds of Disney characters live, making it a bewitching experience for both adults and children.
