“As long as there is imagination left in the world, Disneyland will never be complete”
Walt Disney
When you think of Disneyland, what comes to mind? Castles, family, and Mickey Mouse? What about fires, dehydration and stampeding crowds? Okay, those last three maybe aren’t so likely. But all these actually happened on Disneyland’s opening day, July 17th 1955, when what was meant to be The Happiest Place on Earth appeared to be anything but. How did this happen? Keep reading to find out!
How Disneyland Came to Be
Walt Disney visited many local amusement parks during his childhood and teen years, and these parks were mostly filled with thrill rides such as rollercoasters and classic, same-ish rides such as carousels. There was not much theming, and not really anywhere lasting family memories could be made, unless of course you count on the rides. Although it is not completely known when and where Disney first had the idea to create a park of his own, many believe he first had the idea for Disneyland when sitting on a bench in Griffith Park, watching his daughters on a carousel. Disneyland would be a “fun little park” where adults and children alike could experience the magic of Disney movies together as a family, through rides and theming. Although many parks do this or something similar today, it was a revolutionary concept at the time, which divided opinions across the industry.
When Disney first proposed his idea to industry experts, including owners of major amusement parks, most believed Disneyland could never work, as it didn’t have major showstoppers such as rollercoasters and a Tunnel of Love, and they thought theming like castles and pirate ships had no money-making value. They even comprised a list detailing the reasons Disneyland would fail! For this reason, Walt Disney found it difficult to find an sponsor for his park, but eventually found one in the Coca Cola company, along with a consultant who advised him on where and when to build the park. They came to an agreement that Disneyland would be built in the city of Anaheim in Southern California, and would open in Summer 1955.
Built in a Year and a Day
Many new theme parks today take 3 years or more to be constructed, with individual rides sometimes taking a year or more. Disney parks are unique in many ways however, seemingly even from the beginning, as Disneyland’s construction took only a year and a day. Beginning in 1954, the construction of the park was not completely finished for opening day, with some rides still being painted or even inoperable (more on this later!) Designers and engineers worked tirelessly to make the park as magical as it could possibly be, and WED Enterprises (now known as Walt Disney Imagineeing) was formed! Disneyland faced many problems during it’s construction, including that a plumbers strike meant Disney was forced to choose between working toilets and water fountains for opening day. He chose toilets, reportedly commenting that “visitors could drink Coke and Pepsi, but they can’t pee in the streets”, meaning many water fountains were inoperable in the early days of the park. The original site for the park was soon discovered to be too small, so was moved to Anaheim, which slowed down construction.
The Day Known as Black Sunday: July 17th 1955
Just a day after fresh asphalt was laid, Disneyland opened to exclusively invited guests, including celebrities and influential figures. The park was only prepared for 28,000 guests in 2 hour slots, yet over two times this number turned up on the day and all at once, many having bought counterfeit tickets, or even climbing over walls and fences to get into the most magical place on Earth. Crowds stampeded into the park, and food stands, cafes and restaurants ran out of food in less than two hours, unable to cope with the demand. The harsh sun beamed down on Anaheim that day, causing temperatures to reach 38°C, or 101 °F. The boiling temperatures caused the newly laid asphalt to melt under visitors’ feet; ladies’ high heels became stuck in the ground, and the dry water fountains just made the heat even more unbearable. Some believed the lack of water fountains were a result of Disney’s partnership with Coke and Pepsi, and a tactic to make even more money out of the sponsorship. Some rides and attractions, including Dumbo The Flying Elephant didn’t open until months after opening day, or operated not fully completed, for example the Disneyland Railroad had only two stations ready for operation. 36 cars in Autopia crashed due to kids driving dangerously, causing injuries, despite the aim of the attraction being to teach children how to drive carefully. The Mark Twain Riverboat sunk on it’s first day of operation, after being overloaded with 500 guests. A gas leak caused many rides and attractions to close, and parts of Sleeping Beauty Castle were engulfed in flames from the leak. What’s worse, the entire opening day was broadcasted live on American national television, which in itself faced many technical difficulties!
Not The Most Magical Day on Earth
July 17th 1955 wasn’t exactly the most magical day in Disney history, and the next day guests were invited back to the park, to get a full, magical experience of Disneyland, without the problems the day before faced. Until Walt Disney’s death in 1966, July 18th was known as Disneyland’s official opening, and a few months after the opening, the day became referred to as Black Sunday by company officials. It seems the Walt Disney Company have learned from the disaster that is Black Sunday, as Disney parks are now some of the most visited, much loved theme parks across three continents!
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Which Disney theme park is your favourite? Tell me in the comments below!
Your articles are amazing. Thank you for your hard work.
It’s definitely worth a visit! 🙂
Interesting! Never heard of that park before
Love this Lily
Great post 😁
Coaster Dreamers 
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoy them. Sorry about the late reply -Lily 🙂