On July 17, 1955, Walt Disney expanded his animated film empire by opening Disneyland in Anaheim, California. The attraction cost $17 million to build and now brings in almost $3 billion annually.
Walt Disney designed Rainbow Caverns Mine Train as part of the Living Desert in Frontierland and launched the ride one year after Disneyland opened. Two decades later, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, a roller coaster still in operation, replaced the mine train.
Submarine Voyage replaced two short-lived boat rides on a lagoon in the Tomorrowland area of Disneyland. Submarine Voyage featured eight underwater crafts modeled after the USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine.
When General Electric’s Carousel of Progress moved to Walt Disney World, America Sings took over Disneyland’s Carousel Theater to celebrate America’s bicentennial. Fourteen years later, the animatronics were repurposed for Splash Mountain, and the building was converted into the Star Wars Launch Bay.
Vehicles known as Omnimovers carried passengers through scenes depicting transportation history and predicting what future cars could look like. After 14 years, Test Track replaced World of Motion.