r/interestingasfuck • u/MaxSupreme369 • 21h ago

Human pool table was a popular ride located in New York in 1932.

7.5k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

215 comments sorted by

913

u/Party_Chemical7454 20h ago

So I checked and the most common complaint was friction burns, some bumps and bruises. It run from 1919 to 1959 ended with 0 lawsuits. BTW many people here think it's metal, the disks are in fact wooden.

179

u/asset2891 19h ago

I'm not sure the legal system back then allowed anyone to charges. There might have been legal costs to deter the poor.

120

u/thesituation531 18h ago

There's legal costs to deter the poor now lol

3

u/ShutYourButt420 17h ago

Not in civil injury suits, no

12

u/I-own-a-shovel 13h ago

Time off to take from work they can’t afford, not much success rate from having no money to hire proper expert, yeah the poor are still priced out unless their case get some insane media attention.

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2

u/TheGeneral_Specific 15h ago

Explain?

5

u/HeLongWang 13h ago

PI attorneys front the costs and take their fees/costs out of the settlement

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16

u/ShutYourButt420 17h ago

It absolutely allowed the same kind of civil lawsuits it does now. In some places and in some ways it was more plaintiff friendly.

•

u/ThellraAK 7h ago

Back then people even had the right to be their own prosecutor and do criminal charges.

That got taken away because too many inmates were using it against their abusive jailers.

21

u/siazdghw 17h ago

You can tell someone knew this would rip fingers off based on how they are all holding their hands to their chest.

•

u/perksofbeingcrafty 9h ago

Well not everyone does what they’re told

7

u/hlksmesh 12h ago

Imagine getting a rotating splinter up your ass

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u/perksofbeingcrafty 9h ago

Seems like most of these problems would be solved if everyone was given a thin curved board to sit on before sliding onto the table

Bring them back bring them back I want to ride the human pool table

5

u/One1moretyme 18h ago

wooden and no splinters?

28

u/VillainNomFour 18h ago

Tbf its getting buffed constantly

3

u/One1moretyme 18h ago

like Michael Buffer

6

u/ActuatorLower8371 17h ago

my desk is wooden

2

u/One1moretyme 17h ago

So were some of George Washington's false teeth

8

u/ActuatorLower8371 17h ago

George Washington never had wooden teeth. He used teeth from slaves and animals.

1

u/FixedLoad 17h ago

And lead to bind it all together!  Twas a cacophony of chemicals and side effects!  

3.2k

u/sikkerhet 21h ago

I think safety regulations should have an exception for this bullshit lmao that looks fun as hell

1.1k

u/mrsmushroom 18h ago

My first thought was hair. Lean back too much and get scalped.

309

u/Joe_Kangg 16h ago

I can see those trousers getting munched like Will Smith eating spaghetti

•

u/RoomLegal5434 8h ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/wOgkZ6dujypsOScra5

•

u/Phrainkee 6h ago

I miss the old AI slop...

(lol JK no I don't)

45

u/CautionarySnail 16h ago

And so many pinch points.

31

u/ZeusBaxter 12h ago

Silly, woman weren't allowed to do this lol. Just the man types.

•

u/dudderson 10h ago

Poor women might move too fast and their uterus will come flying out!! (Real thing men said to keep women off trains)

•

u/ZeusBaxter 10h ago

Lmao no way! The men of this time really were just the most idiotic. Like wtf 😆

•

u/dudderson 10h ago

I mean, they still think insane things about us, so not much has changed.

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u/ViridianFlea 9h ago

Yes, but the people peddling the bullshit knew how many idiots there were. Say it and they'll believe it. That's the control mechanism.

•

u/Herverpeju 8h ago

If they were "lying", then what about this? Checkmate atheist

•

u/stadchic 11h ago

The person at the end is a woman with long hair.

102

u/YouCanChangeItRight 20h ago

Yeah it legitimately looks fun. Dangerous, but fun.

•

u/bikari 10h ago

See Murphy v. Steeplechase Amusement Co., the case that established the doctrine of assumption of risk.

Defendant maintains an amusement park. “The Flopper” is an attraction at Defendant’s park. It consists of a moving belt, running upward on an inclined plane, on which passengers sit or stand. Many patrons are unable to keep their footing because of the movement of the belt and are thrown backwards or aside.

Plaintiff visited Defendant’s park and stepped upon the moving belt of “The Flopper.” As he did so, he felt what he describes as a sudden jerk, and was thrown to the floor. His wife in front of him and friends behind him were thrown at the same time. Plaintiff suffered a fractured kneecap.

Safety standards were pretty much non-existent, lol. If I remember correctly, I think part of the ride was that the belt would suddenly stop and start on purpose to try and get people to fall down.

20

u/yepyepyep123456 13h ago

Yeah there should be an exception for, “Well should have been able to tell that was dangerous”

9

u/NoGuide 13h ago

There kind of is in general! But once you start operating a business you have a higher standard of care.

3

u/HiImDan 12h ago

Trampoline parks exist and I'm always hearing about injuries there.

•

u/Socratesticles 11h ago

Tell that to action park

•

u/daredeviline 9h ago

To be fair, most of that stuff happened in the 80s before we had standards

11

u/JaySayMayday 15h ago

I feel like you could avoid a lot of issues with a rotating inner lip made from a non binding material. Just seal up that gap

•

u/Grabatreetron 10h ago

This would be an awesome water park ride. A waterslide into a squishy spinning lillipads on the surface the pool

•

u/Antal_Marius 8h ago

Could put people on a board/toboggan thing that keeps all the bits that could be snagged protected?

•

u/Capital-Ad-6349 7h ago

Bring it back but require special protective suits.

•

u/TheMrPotMask 4h ago

Asuming skin or clothes wont get stuck between 2 discs

1.5k

u/PsychologicalGas7843 21h ago

I am getting Final destination vibes from the whole setup

294

u/Tiny-Mulberry-2114 21h ago

Yeah I can imagine this is in a scene someone going in without a shirt, his skin getting stuck in-between parts before ripping it off for extra scary effect.

133

u/Salmonman4 21h ago

Or someone with a scarf getting it stuck and choking. Or depending on the torque, getting decapitated

70

u/Crow_eggs 20h ago

Feature, not a bug. A decapitated head in the corner pocket gives you a free shot.

24

u/Dreckiger-_-Dan 18h ago

Or Just Hair

2

u/I-own-a-shovel 13h ago

Why not the hair and scalp too for more halloween gore!

1

u/Salmonman4 13h ago

You can survive that. Final Destination requires death.

PS. When I was a kid, I got my jeans mangled by an escalator even though they have precautions against that

1

u/Acrobatic-Canary-571 17h ago

That’s billiards for ya

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6

u/graveybrains 16h ago

"Keep your arms folded across your chest until you exit the ride."

"Or else."

5

u/Donna-Perdido 17h ago

Yea. Human deli slicer

•

u/Datboi_OverThere 7h ago

Same could be said for most of the early 1900s tbf

3

u/foresight310 17h ago

Brought to you by Six Flags…

334

u/Fragrant-Upstairs932 21h ago

If there was a way to do this that was remotely safe, I'd jump on it in a heartbeat.

85

u/ponyponyta 21h ago

Maybe put a dish on it, or have people be in thick transparent sleeping bags

54

u/macguini 20h ago

Like those burlap sacks they give you for some slides

7

u/izza123 16h ago

Good way to get burlap fibres embedded in your brain when the bag gets caught and suddenly accepts all the inertia of the spin

11

u/almostoy 20h ago

Scout Master Kevin?

4

u/BloodyStupid_johnson 16h ago

You know the rule, Timmy, everyone sleeps nude. 

•

u/GoingAllTheJay 3h ago

Jump suit and helmet/cap to tuck hair should be enough.

Everything covered, nothing loose.

23

u/peazley 21h ago

No hair and no dangly things.

6

u/smurfk 20h ago

Stop being a wimp. Just wait a bit to wipe the blood off the floor and you'll be good to go!

2

u/111victories 16h ago

They operated this shit for 40 years... I'd say that's remotely safe.

1

u/fishlegstudio 17h ago

I can imagine that doing this on a kneeboard or surfboard, kayak, or a winter sled would be a lot of fun!

•

u/Andr0NiX 7h ago

I don't see why sealing under the edges wouldn't work. Worst is you just get spun in a circle with not too much force ig?

•

u/BrainTroubles 1h ago

It’s essentially the premise of the mater ride at California adventure, just distilled and less random

332

u/Fooligoo 21h ago

Better not have long hair.

39

u/ILL_Show_Myself_Out 20h ago

Yeah ya hippy!!

2

u/lbutler1234 12h ago

Good thing they didn't exist back then smh my head

8

u/grasib 19h ago

Or fingers

3

u/MiloGoesToTheFatFarm 15h ago

Good news, you won’t afterwards!

81

u/Ingestre 21h ago

AKA the finger mangler.

5

u/IndependenceStock417 20h ago

That name car be used for so many things lol

16

u/Bluetex110 21h ago

That actually looks like a lot of fun 😁

14

u/ComfortablyNumb2425 19h ago

I recall discs like these at the State Fair that were smaller and spinning very fast and everyone kept falling down. I honestly don't know how there weren't multiple injuries all the time but somehow there weren't and everyone was laughing. This would have been late 50s very early 60s.

14

u/illoomi 17h ago

•

u/whatdoblindpeoplesee 8h ago

Exactly what I thought of too

12

u/Whooptidooh 19h ago

How many people where scalped by that thing?

9

u/MTri3x 18h ago

Yeah that's my biggest concern about it. It seems super fun but I just imagine my hair getting stuck in it

7

u/lilianasJanitor 13h ago

It was the 1930s. If you died that that was just the will of God. No way to prevent it.

1

u/MTri3x 12h ago

No I'm talking about me doing that right now. Cause it definitely seems fun.

2

u/IronCladNads 15h ago

Fucking lol

2

u/MulberryDeep 14h ago

0, but quite a few had bruises and friction burns

19

u/No_Jellyfish5511 21h ago

my amazon order:

•

u/Islanduniverse 5h ago

They could make this work with a raft or cart or something that people could sit or possibly lay in.

6

u/KeenbeansSandwich 13h ago

Then a woman with long hair went on it and ripped her scalp clean off.

•

u/2squishmaster 10h ago

In that time period? No chance

•

u/EmperorThan 8h ago

Smoove off.

4

u/DrunkyBrewster187 15h ago

The first thing I imagined was someone with long hair getting tangled up in that

•

u/Morridini 7h ago

I dont get the name. Whats a pool table? Are there non human pool tables with spinning disks?

•

u/koyaani 6h ago

They hadn't invented bumper cars yet or they'd be called human bumper cars. Feature not featured in this clip

25

u/Nagelfar61249 20h ago

"Is it really safe?"

"Yeah, sure. Just dont put your arms frim your body. Or have lang hair. Or tilt over. Or beraten too heavy. But that just happend 10 or 12 times. Today. In the last hour..... but It's fun, trust me👌"

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7

u/TheUpperHand 18h ago

To shreds you say?

3

u/Sunset-onthe-Horizon 18h ago

And his wife?

2

u/Inside-Inspection905 17h ago

To shreds you say

1

u/tryyeezus 17h ago

Scalped and scalloped

1

u/ElectronMaster 14h ago

MEN only

2

u/Sunset-onthe-Horizon 14h ago

Settle down we're doing a Futurama bit here.

5

u/mbgameshw 21h ago

Standard levels of safety until the late nineties… bit of hair ripping or finger detachment never killed anyone.

3

u/AwakenedDreamer__44 21h ago

Before OSHA violations were a thing.

8

u/Meowgorithms 21h ago

I’m surprised something like this hasn’t been in a saw film. Want to play a game?

7

u/T-MoneyAllDey 16h ago

Say a Prayer for people who have fat rolls

5

u/gatorbeetle 15h ago

Or long hair

2

u/StrawberryTerry 12h ago

Or fat rolls with long hair on them

•

u/MissUnderstood_1 11h ago

Or fat hair with long rolls on them

•

u/HailBuckSeitan 10h ago

Or long fat with hair rolls on them

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u/Lbeyy 9h ago

Not to be too serious but obesity wasnt as prevalent back then

•

u/SpaceTimeItsRelative 6h ago

All the fat was Hoovered away!

•

u/BirdChuffer 5h ago

Still really isn't in NYC since they walk everywhere...

2

u/Oseirus 13h ago

Lose weight with this one weird trick!

userisresponsiblefortheirownEMTservices

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u/DrCuriousMind 11h ago edited 11h ago

The Human Pool Table was a popular attraction that debuted in 1932 at Steeplechase Park on Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York.

How the Ride Worked

• The Setup: The attraction featured a giant floor embedded with 24 large, flat wooden discs that rapidly spun in alternating directions, sometimes paired with a tilted or sloped surface. • The Experience: Participants slid down a wooden chute or ramp and landed directly onto the spinning discs. • The Goal: Riders acted as living billiard balls, trying to cross from one side to the other while being violently bounced, spun, and sent crashing into one another by the momentum of the floor. • Crowd Appeal: A large part of the entertainment came from spectators watching the chaotic physical comedy from surrounding railings

Key Details

Target Audience: Historical signage at the ride indicated it was restricted to "Men Only".

Safety Standards: Operating long before modern safety regulations existed, the ride featured no helmets, no padding, and no liability waivers.

Lifespan: The attraction operated for about 40 years before eventually being replaced by a Round-Up centrifugal

ride around 1960

accidents and injuries were very common on the Human Pool Table, though no major fatalities were ever officially recorded on the attraction.

Because the ride featured no seatbelts, no harness restraints, and absolutely no padding, injuries were treated as a routine part of the experience.

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u/Ok_Region3366 9h ago

No major fatalities 🤣

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u/iReaddit-KRTORR 9h ago

Obviously just minor ones 🫡

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u/I_love-tacos 9h ago

"No seatbelts" and you also wanted to strap a seatbelt on the spinning wheel of death to make it 10 times deadlier?!?

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u/koyaani 6h ago

Slop

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u/McBonderson 6h ago

its not the lack of seatbelts I have an issue with, its the risk of seriously pinching your skin

3

u/Apprehensive-Unit268 21h ago

I wonder how my fatass would slide there lol

3

u/_Fizzgiggy 20h ago

My grandma told me about these kind of rides when she was young. Hers would have been on one of the piers in LA that used to exist

3

u/redunculuspanda 20h ago

It was some guys job scoop up all the lost fingers at the end of the night.

3

u/hemorrhoidhematoma 16h ago

Someone shit their pants on the human pool table again we're shutting it down for the day sorry gentlemen

2

u/Holiday-Pangolin-491 14h ago

”Again?!?!? Goddammit.”

•

u/gmankev 11h ago

October fest is the place for this

5

u/Common_Alfalfa6660 21h ago

Imagine your hair getting stuck in one cirle and your clothes in another. Both rotating in the opposite direction, yikes.

Final Destination vibe for sure.

6

u/sunnydandrumyumyum 20h ago

Reminds me of that one place in the original pokemon games on gameboy colour

2

u/jonathanquirk 20h ago

I miss when those games had fun puzzles like that…

4

u/Elec7roniX 17h ago

Team Rocket’s basement

6

u/oh_stv 20h ago

Human pool table, aka "the finger snatcher" aka "the sculpinator"

2

u/Monkfich 19h ago

Probably gave ideas to people on how to mechanically remove the skin from vegetables.

2

u/thesituation531 18h ago

Looks about as dangerous as I would expect something mechanical in the early 1900s to be

2

u/deathbunnyy 16h ago

Good way to get scalped.

2

u/Kriegmarine91 14h ago

Seal up the pinch points and have air blowing up so hair will have a harder time finding the gaps. Yeah, this looks fun af!

•

u/a00haze 11h ago

I think if they had you out on a onesie and a hat then it’s be a lot safer but man it looks mad fun

•

u/Mikeologyy 9h ago

This video made my long hair flinch

•

u/619sxb 7h ago

No helmets?! Or at least a beanie to keep hair from getting stuck.
It looks kind of fast, I wonder how fast it is spinning.

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u/PrestigiousAd4246 6h ago

Stupid people and kids are why we can't have fun things like this anymore.

•

u/Ibushi-gun 6h ago

I wonder if there is a more safe option for something like this

3

u/Chemical_Ad_5520 20h ago

I guess it operated for 28 years, until 1960. Nobody ever died on it, but it would bash you up. People would get concussions from kicking each other in the head, or they'd break bones falling down. Not terribly commonly, but those were the dangers. Most people just got some friction burn.

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2

u/GleedBarry 21h ago

What’s this got to do with pool?

2

u/Whocares7x 20h ago

Easy way to scalp hair

•

u/gods_loop_hole 8h ago

This used to be a proper country

•

u/Timely-Ad-1984 6h ago

Imagine the horrifying accidents that led to it being shut down.

1

u/Ordinary_News_6455 21h ago

The sound does not add anything to the experience

1

u/Und3adShr3d 21h ago

This makes me want to play Fall Guys

1

u/ZerpMeizter 21h ago

Bumper humans!

1

u/SelfInteresting7259 21h ago

Hmmm interestingly

1

u/DistrictEffective759 21h ago

How bizarre. I love it

1

u/Mother_Lead_554 21h ago

Has it been a month already?

1

u/Better_Carpet_7271 20h ago

Proving that humans just want to do something they haven't before.

1

u/Taruska 20h ago

Honestly, this looks like so much fun!

1

u/Stoneheaded76 20h ago

Seems fun until you smash your head on on of those metal poles on the sides

1

u/CostatePrancer 20h ago

I'm afraid of where the balls go.

1

u/NeonLocustX83 20h ago

I went on one of those fun houses that had a bunch of moving sections and the exit you had to go through what essentially is a clothes dryer tunnel, it was fun for a 2nd until my ass got tumbled pretty hard and busted my head, f*ck that exit.

1

u/ImInJeopardy 18h ago

That does look fun, but I'd be afraid of getting my hair caught.

1

u/Coppercap100 18h ago

They should’ve done that while sitting

1

u/Jedibri81 17h ago

That looks fun

1

u/MrPhilLashio 17h ago

Looks fun but kinda boring in just black and white. They coulda considered at least painting it

1

u/UnlimitedScarcity 17h ago

"Remember Coney Island, and how it used to beee. Now it's everything it ever was, AND MORE!"

1

u/PMmeIamlonley 16h ago

Kinda amazing how free America was before lawsuits 

1

u/amazing_ape 15h ago

Looks like a good way to lose some fingers

1

u/FocusDKBoltBOLT 15h ago

ha yes, the finger eater 4000

1

u/chowderpouch 14h ago

Looks like a good way to snag your sac

•

u/mattydabs 9h ago

Bring this back and use inflatable human hamster balls

•

u/AzulMage2020 8h ago

"Bob, explain these friction burns all along the backside of your suit backside"

"Im free now! Im finally FREE!!"

•

u/GardenOfValhalla 8h ago

Deli slicer wheels

•

u/No-Sandwich1511 8h ago

I wonder how many people were scalped or gut an unwanted haircut from this ride

•

u/Mental_Thing_7899 7h ago

I praise these generations that where practically crash test dummies for crazy ideas so our current generations can survive super safe rides and consume our extremely balanced diets free of microplastics and drugs.... right?

•

u/Chaprito 6h ago

Didn't they have these in the Team Rocket Hideout?

•

u/qtpss 6h ago

Could have been made into pro level RedBull Twister game.

•

u/Patrickracer43 6h ago

Not a cellphone in sight, just straight fun

•

u/Afraid_Phrase4770 3h ago

Imagine if fingers got stuck between the spinning wheel and the platform

1

u/peatoire 21h ago

Roll up roll up folks. Take your chances on the SNAGGING MACHINE!

1

u/SinuousPanic 21h ago

Yeah I can see it, in a world where on demand TV and video games don't exist, this looks fun as hell.

1

u/Jeoff51 20h ago

so how many people died?

1

u/Party_Chemical7454 20h ago
  1. And 0 lawsuits.

1

u/Responsible-Elk4223 17h ago

All good things got ruined, someone’s hair or fingers must have got caught in the turnstyles

1

u/TitShark 12h ago

Shit all it takes is a shoelace and your ankle is broken

•

u/Ok_Chemistry9742 11h ago

Goodbye fingers.