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Superman : Escape from Krypton ( originally known as Superman : The Escape ) is a steel shuttle roller coaster located at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia , California . When it opened in 1997 , it was the tallest roller coaster in the world , and its speed of 100 mph ( 160 km / h ) was tied for the fastest with Tower of Terror II , a similar roller coaster which opened two months earlier at Dreamworld in Australia . These two coasters were the first to utilize Linear Synchronous Motor ( LSM ) technology to propel vehicles to top speed . The park originally intended to open the ride in 1996 , but the opening was delayed because of several issues with the launch system . The ride was closed in late 2010 for refurbishment , and it emerged in 2011 as " Superman : Escape from Krypton " . The refurbished ride featured new trains which face backward , and it was painted with a new color scheme . As of 2013 , Superman : Escape from Krypton has the third @-@ tallest structure , the fifth @-@ fastest speed and the third @-@ longest drop in the world .
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= = History = =
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= = = Superman : The Escape ( 1997 — 2010 ) = = =
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While in the planning stages , the ride was going to be named Velocetron and themed as The Man of Steel . The ride was announced on January 5 , 1996 as Superman : The Escape , breaking records as the first roller coaster to reach 100 miles per hour ( 160 km / h ) , passing Desperado and Phantom 's Revenge at 82 miles per hour ( 132 km / h ) . The ride was designed by Intamin , a Swiss roller coaster firm . It was originally intended to open on June 1 , 1996 . However , due to a range of problems with the launch system , its opening was delayed . In late 1996 , there was a preview for season pass holders . After 10 months of testing and reengineering , the ride opened on March 15 , 1997 . After its opening , the media claimed Superman to be the fastest roller coaster in the world . However , since it was delayed , a similar roller coaster known as Tower of Terror , which also has a 100 @-@ mile @-@ per @-@ hour launch ( 160 km / h ) , had opened about a month earlier at Dreamworld in Australia . Superman therefore lost its claim as being the first roller coaster to reach 100 miles per hour ( 160 km / h ) , although it was then tied with Tower of Terror as the fastest roller coaster in the world . However , the ride became the first roller coaster in the world to go over 400 ft , therefore becoming the tallest roller coaster in the world at the time .
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In June 2004 , Superman : The Escape 's seat belts were modified because of an incident on the Superman – Ride of Steel roller coaster at Six Flags New England . California State Regulators asked the park to make modifications to the rides ' restraint systems to prevent a similar incident in the future .
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Just after July 4 weekend of 2010 , Superman : The Escape ceased operations with no reason given . A sign posted in front of the ride indicated that it would not reopen until the 2011 season , with hints that there would be improvements made to the ride experience . After Superman : The Escape 's sister ride , the Tower of Terror II at Dreamworld , underwent a major refurbishment in 2010 which entailed a new vehicle which launches backward , speculation turned to the possibility of a similar modification to the Magic Mountain ride . Six Flags Magic Mountain officials quickly denied rumors that it would receive a Bizarro retheming , similar to roller coasters at other Six Flags parks .
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= = = Superman : Escape from Krypton ( 2011 — present ) = = =
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On October 20 , 2010 , Six Flags Magic Mountain officially announced the refurbishment and re @-@ theming of Superman : The Escape , in addition to the construction of two new roller coasters . As part of the refurbishment , the ride was renamed to Superman : Escape from Krypton and featured new backward launching cars and a new color scheme . The upgraded ride reopened to the public on March 19 , 2011 .
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Superman : Escape from Krypton closed again on February 5 , 2012 ( almost a year after the refurbishment ) to prepare for the new 2012 attraction Lex Luthor : Drop of Doom . Two drop towers , also built by Intamin , were integrated into the existing sides of Superman : Escape from Krypton 's structure . The ride reopened when construction was finished on July 7 , 2012 .
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To enable the construction of the park 's 2013 roller coaster , Full Throttle , Superman : Escape from Krypton was temporarily closed from December 2012 . It reopened in mid @-@ January with Six Flags Magic Mountain stating the ride may have intermittent closures as the construction of Full Throttle continues .
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= = Ride experience = =
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= = = Queue and station = = =
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At the entrance to the ride , the Superman " S " shield is imprinted and now painted onto the ground . The entrance area and queue are modeled after the Fortress of Solitude , Superman 's headquarters . The station is lit green , modeled as Krypton , the planet that is full of Kryptonite rock that can take away Superman 's powers . Inside is a crystalline @-@ looking environment which recreates Superman 's fortress in the Arctic . If the Velocetron name had been chosen , the queue and station would have had ancient ruins and a giant laser . A page on display in the Sky Tower , the park 's observation tower , shows the concept art for Velocetron .
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= = = Layout = = =
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The roller coaster has two parallel tracks , with both tracks being identical . The vehicle is accelerated by Linear Synchronous Motors in reverse out of the station from 0 to 100 miles per hour ( 160 km / h ) in approximately 7 seconds . Riders experience a g @-@ force of 4 @.@ 5 during the launch . The vehicle then climbs up 415 feet ( 126 m ) at a 90 degree angle . Riders climb this vertical section facing directly downward , before slightly stopping near the top of the tower . During the vertical section of the ride , riders experience weightlessness for about 6 @.@ 5 seconds . The vehicle drops 328 feet ( 100 m ) and is slowed down before re @-@ entering the station .
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= = = Vehicles = = =
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The roller coaster originally featured two vehicles , each with three rows of four seats and one row of three seats for a total of 15 riders per vehicle . Both vehicles were built to only run forward . After the ride was refurbished in 2010 , new " streamlined " vehicles with the Superman logo were introduced . The new vehicles were designed with low @-@ profile sides to enhance the open @-@ air feeling . Although they are wider , the row of the three seats in the older vehicle was reduced to two , resulting in a lower total of 14 riders per vehicle . Both of the new trains were configured to run backward , though they were designed to run forward as well . It was reported that the park would eventually run one side forward to give riders a choice , but both trains have remained facing backward .
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= = = Track = = =
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The steel track is approximately 1 @,@ 235 feet ( 376 m ) in length and the height of the tower is approximately 415 feet ( 126 m ) . The tower is in an " L " shape with two parallel tracks . When the ride opened , the entire structure was painted white . After the ride was refurbished , the top third of the structure was painted red , the track was painted yellow and the rest was painted blue .
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= = Records = =
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For the first four years of operation , Superman : Escape from Krypton was tied with Tower of Terror II as the fastest roller coaster in the world . In 2001 , the speed record was taken by Dodonpa in Japan which features a top speed of 106 @.@ 9 miles per hour ( 172 @.@ 0 km / h ) . Superman : Escape from Krypton held the record for the tallest roller coaster in the world until 2003 when the record was taken by the 420 @-@ foot @-@ tall ( 130 m ) Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point . As of 2015 , it has the fifth fastest speed , the third tallest structure and the third @-@ highest drop in the world .
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= Battle of Hubbardton =
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The Battle of Hubbardton was an engagement in the Saratoga campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought in the village of Hubbardton , Vermont . Vermont was then a disputed territory sometimes called the New Hampshire Grants , claimed by New York , New Hampshire , and the newly organized and not yet recognized but de facto independent government of Vermont . On the morning of July 7 , 1777 , British forces , under General Simon Fraser , caught up with the American rear guard of the forces retreating after the withdrawal from Fort Ticonderoga . It was the only battle in Vermont during the revolution . ( The Battle of Bennington was fought in what is now Walloomsac , New York . )
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The American retreat from Fort Ticonderoga began late on July 5 after British cannons were seen on top of high ground , Mount Defiance ( aka Rattlesnake Mountain and Sugar Loaf Hill ) that commanded the fort . The bulk of General Arthur St. Clair 's army retreated through Hubbardton to Castleton , while the rear guard , commanded by Seth Warner , stopped at Hubbardton to rest and pick up stragglers .
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General Fraser , alerted to the American withdrawal early on July 6 , immediately set out in pursuit , leaving a message for General John Burgoyne to send reinforcements as quickly as possible . That night Fraser camped a few miles short of Hubbardton , and the German General Friedrich Adolf Riedesel , leading reinforcements , camped a few miles further back . Rising early in the morning , Fraser reached Hubbardton , where he surprised some elements of the American rear , while other elements managed to form defensive lines . In spirited battle , the Americans were driven back , but had almost succeeded in turning Fraser 's left flank when Riedesel and his German reinforcements arrived , eventually scattering the American forces .
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The battle took a large enough toll on the British forces that they did not further pursue the main American army . The many American prisoners were sent to Ticonderoga while most of the British troops made their way to Skenesboro to rejoin Burgoyne 's army . Most of the scattered American remnants made their way to rejoin St. Clair 's army on its way toward the Hudson River .
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= = Background = =
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General John Burgoyne began his 1777 campaign for control of the Hudson River valley by moving an army of 8 @,@ 000 down Lake Champlain in late June , arriving near Fort Ticonderoga on July 1 . On July 5 , General Arthur St. Clair 's American forces defending Fort Ticonderoga and its supporting defenses discovered that Burgoyne 's men had placed cannons on a position overlooking the fort . They evacuated the fort that night , with the majority of the army marching down a rough road ( now referred to locally as the 1776 Hubbardton Military Road ) toward Hubbardton in the disputed New Hampshire Grants territory . The day was hot and sunny , and the pace was rapid and grueling ; most of the army marched 30 miles ( 48 km ) to Castleton before making camp on the evening of July 6 .
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= = British troops give chase = =
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The British general , a Scotsman named Simon Fraser discovered early on July 6 that the Americans had abandoned Ticonderoga . Leaving a message for General Burgoyne , he set out in pursuit with companies of grenadiers ( 9th , 29th , 34th , and 62nd Foot ) and light infantry ( 24th , 29th , 34th , 53rd , and 62nd ) , as well as two companies of the 24th Regiment and about 100 Loyalists and Indian scouts . Burgoyne ordered Riedesel to follow ; he set out with a few companies of Brunswick jägers and grenadiers , leaving orders for the rest of his troops to come as rapidly as possible . Fraser 's advance corps was only a few miles behind Colonel Ebenezer Francis ' 11th Massachusetts Regiment , which acted as St. Clair 's rear guard .
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American general St. Clair paused at Hubbardton to give the main army 's tired and hungry troops time to rest while he hoped the rear guard would arrive . When it did not arrive in time , he left Colonel Seth Warner and the Green Mountain Boys behind , along with the 2nd New Hampshire Regiment under Colonel Nathan Hale , at Hubbardton to wait for the rear while the main army marched on to Castleton . When Francis ' and Hale 's men arrived , Warner decided , against St. Clair 's orders , that they would spend the night there , rather than marching on to Castleton . Warner , who had experience in rear @-@ guard actions while serving in the invasion of Quebec , arranged the camps in a defensive position on Monument Hill , and set patrols to guard the road to Ticonderoga .
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Baron Riedesel caught up with Fraser around 4 pm , and insisted that his men could not go further before making camp . Fraser , who acquiesced to this as Riedesel was senior to him in the chain of command , pointed out that he was authorized to engage the enemy , and would be leaving his camp at 3 am the next morning . He then advanced until he found a site about three miles ( 4 @.@ 8 km ) from Hubbardton , where his troops camped for the night . Riedesel waited for the bulk of his men , about 1 @,@ 500 strong , and also made camp .
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= = Attack = =
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Fraser 's men were up at 3 am , but did not make good time due to the darkness . Riedesel left his camp at 3 am with a picked group of men , and was still behind Fraser when the latter arrived at Hubbardton near dawn and very nearly surprised elements of Hale 's regiment , which were scattered in the early fighting . A messenger had arrived from General St. Clair delivering news that the British had reached Skenesboro , where the elements of the retreating army had planned to regroup , and that a more circuitous route to the Hudson River was now required . St. Clair 's instructions were to follow him immediately to Rutland . Francis ' men had formed a column to march out around 7 : 15 when the British vanguard began cresting the hill behind them . Rapidly reforming into a line behind some cover , the Massachusetts men unleashed a withering volley of fire at the winded British . General Fraser took stock of the situation , and decided to send a detachment around to flank the American left , at the risk of exposing his own left , which he hoped would hold until Riedesel arrived . Riedesel reached the top of another hill , where he observed that the American line , now including parts of Hale 's regiment , was in fact pressing on Fraser 's left . He therefore sent his grenadiers to support Fraser 's flank and directed the jägers against the American center .
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At some point early in the conflict , St. Clair was made aware of the gunfire off in the distance . He immediately dispatched Henry Brockholst Livingston and Isaac Dunn to send the militia camped closest to Hubbardton down the road in support of the action . When they reached the area of those camps they found those militia companies in full retreat away from the gunfire in the distance , and no amount of persuasion could convince the men to turn around . Livingston and Dunn continued riding toward Hubbardton .
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Falling back to a secure position on Monument Hill , the Americans repulsed several vigorous British assaults , although Colonel Francis was hit in the arm by a shot . He soldiered on , directing troops to a perceived weakness on Fraser 's left . The tide of the battle turned when , after more than an hour of battle , Riedesel 's grenadiers arrived . These disciplined forces entered the fray singing hymns to the accompaniment of a military band to make them appear more numerous than they actually were . The American flanks were turned , and they were forced to make a desperate race across an open field to avoid being enveloped . Colonel Francis fell in a volley of musket fire as the troops raced away from the advancing British and scattered into the countryside .
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= = Aftermath = =
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The scattered remnants of the American rear laboriously made their way toward Rutland in order to rejoin the main army . Harassed by Fraser 's scouts and Indians , and without food or shelter , it took some of them five days to reach the army , which was by then nearing Fort Edward . Others , including Colonel Hale and a detachment of 70 men , were captured by the British as they mopped up the scene . Colonel Francis , in a sign of respect from his opponents , was buried with the Brunswick dead .
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Baron Riedesel and the Brunswickers departed for Skenesboro the next day , much to General Fraser 's chagrin . Their departure left him in " the most disaffected part of America , every person a Spy " , with 600 tired men , a sizable contingent of prisoners and wounded , and no significant supplies . On July 9 he sent the 300 prisoners , under light guard but with threats of retaliation should they try to escape , toward Ticonderoga while he marched his exhausted forces toward Castleton and then Skenesboro .
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Livingston and Dunn , the two men sent toward the battle by St. Clair , were met by retreating Americans on the Castleton road after the battle was over . They returned to Castleton with the bad news , and the army marched off , eventually reaching the American camp at Fort Edward on July 12 .
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= = Losses = =
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The official casualty return for the Hessian troops gives 38 Hessian soldiers and 1 French @-@ Canadian killed and 125 Hessians and 2 French @-@ Canadians wounded . A separate return for the German troops has 10 killed and 14 wounded , for a grand total of 49 killed and 141 wounded . Historian Richard M. Ketchum gives different British casualties of 60 killed and 168 wounded . The American casualties were 41 killed , 96 wounded and 230 captured .
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= = Legacy = =
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A local body commissioned the erection of a monument on the battlefield site in 1859 , and the state began acquiring battlefield lands in the 1930s for operation as a state historic site . The battlefield was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 , and is the site of annual Revolutionary War reenactments .
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= Odaenathus =
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Lucius Septimius Udaynath , Latinized as Odaenathus ( Aramaic : ܐܕܝܢܬ / Oḏainaṯ ; Arabic : أذينة / Udaynath ; 220 – 267 ) , was the founder king ( Mlk ) of the Palmyrene Kingdom centered at the city of Palmyra , Syria . He lifted his city from the position of a regional center subordinate to Rome into the supreme power in the East . Odaenathus was born into an aristocratic Palmyrene family who had received Roman citizenship in the 190s under the Severan dynasty . He was the son of Hairan the descendant of Nasor . The circumstances surrounding his rise are ambiguous ; he became the lord ( Ras ) of the city , a position created for him , as early as the 240s and by 258 , he was styled a consularis , indicating a high status in the Roman Empire .
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The defeat and captivity of emperor Valerian at the hands of the Persian Sassanian monarch Shapur I in 260 left the eastern Roman provinces largely at the mercy of the Persians . Odaenathus stayed on the side of Rome ; assuming the title of king , he led the Palmyrene army and fell upon the Persians before they could cross the Euphrates to the eastern bank , and inflicted upon them a considerable defeat . Then , Odaenathus took the side of emperor Gallienus , the son and successor of Valerian , who was facing the usurpation of Fulvius Macrianus . The rebel declared his sons emperors , leaving one in Syria and taking the other with him to Europe . Odaenathus attacked the remaining usurper and quelled the rebellion . He was rewarded many exceptional titles by the emperor who formalized his self @-@ established position in the East . In reality , the emperor could have done little but to accept the declared nominal loyalty of Odaenathus .
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In a series of rapid and successful campaigns starting in 262 , he crossed the Euphrates and recovered Carrhae and Nisibis . He then took the offensive to the heartland of Persia , and arrived at the walls of its capital Ctesiphon . The city withstood the short siege but Odaenathus reclaimed the entirety of Roman lands occupied by the Persians since the beginning of their invasions in 252 . Odaenathus celebrated his victories and declared himself King of Kings , crowning his son Hairan I as co @-@ king . By 263 , Odaenathus was in effective control of the Levant , Mesopotamia and Anatolia 's eastern region .
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Odaenathus observed all due formalities towards the emperor , but in practice ruled as an independent monarch . In 266 , the king launched a second invasion of Persia but had to abandon the campaign and head north to Bithynia to repel the attacks of Germanic riders besieging the city of Heraclea Pontica . He was assassinated in 267 during or immediately after the Anatolian campaign , together with Hairan . The identities of the perpetrator or the instigator are unknown and many stories , accusations and speculations exist in ancient sources . He was succeeded by his son Vaballathus under the regency of his widow Zenobia , who used the power established by Odaenathus to forge the Palmyrene Empire in 270 .
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= = Name , Odaenathus I and origin = =
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" Odaenathus " is the Roman version of the king 's name who was born Lucius Septimius Udaynath c . 220 AD . " Udaynath " is the king 's personal name , an Arabic name that means " little ear " . " Septimius " was the family 's gentilicium ( surname ) adopted as an expression of loyalty to the Roman Severan dynasty , whose emperor Septimius Severus granted the family Roman citizenship in the late second century .
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In the Temple of Bel at Palmyra , a stone block with a sepulchral inscription was found mentioning the building of a tomb and recording the genealogy of the builder : Odaenathus son of Hairan son of Wahb Allat son of Nasor . Traditional scholarship believed the builder to be an ancestor of the king and he was given the designation " Odaenathus I " . In an inscription dated to 251 , the name of the " Ras " ( lord ) of Palmyra Hairan son of Odaenathus is written , and he was thought to be the son of Odaenathus I.
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Prior to the 1980s , the earliest known inscription attesting king Odaenathus was dated to 257 , leading traditional scholarship to believe that Hairan Ras of Palmyra is the father of the king and that Odaenathus I was his grandfather . However , an inscription published in 1985 by archaeologist Michael Gawlikowski and dated to 252 mentions king Odaenathus as a " Ras " and records the same genealogy found in the sepulchral inscription confirming the name of king Odaenathus ' grandfather as Wahb Allat . Therefor , it is certain that king Odaenathus is the builder of the tomb ruling out the existence of " Odaenathus I " . Ras Hairan mentioned in the 251 inscription is identical with Odaenathus ' elder son and co @-@ ruler prince Hairan I.
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The origin of the family is Aramean , while the king himself appears to be of mixed Aramean and Arab descent ; his name is Arabic , while the names of his ancestors ( father Hairan and great grandfather Nasor ) are Aramaic . Zosimus asserted that Odaenathus descended from " illustrious forebears " , but the position of the family in Palmyra is debated ; it was probably part of the wealthy mercantile class . Alternatively , the family could have belonged to the tribal leadership who amassed a fortune as landowners and patrons of the Palmyrene caravans . In Dura @-@ Europos , a relief dated to 159 was commissioned by Hairan son of Maliko son of Nasor ; this Hairan might have been the head of the Palmyrene trade colony in Dura @-@ Europos and probably belonged to the same family of Odaenathus . " Nasor " father of Maliko mentioned in the Dura @-@ Europos inscription could therefore be Odaenathus ' great @-@ great @-@ great grandfather .
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= = Rise = =
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Palmyra was an autonomous city subordinate to Rome and part of Syria Phoenice province . Odaenathus descended from an aristocratic family , albeit not a royal one as the city was ruled by a council and had no tradition of hereditary monarchy . Bilingual inscriptions from Palmyra record the title of the Palmyrene ruler as " Ras " in Palmyrene and Exarchos in Greek , meaning the " Lord of Palmyra " . The title was created for Odaenathus , and was not a usual title in the Roman Empire or a part of the traditional Palmyrene governance institutions ; whether it indicated a military or a priestly position is unknown , but the military role is more likely .
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The rise of the aggressive Sasanian Empire in 224 and the Iranian incursions which affected Palmyrene trade , combined with the weakness of the Roman empire , were probably the reasons behind the Palmyrene council 's decision to elect a lord for the city in order for him to lead a strengthened army . The " Ras " title enabled the bearer to tackle the difficult situation that arose due to the Sasanian insurgencies ; the supreme authority of the Ras probably made him the supreme civil and military commander with authority over the entire Palmyrene army , which was previously decentralized and led by different generals .
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= = = Ras of Palmyra = = =
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