Which Disney Attraction Opened the Year You Were Born?
Hey, how old are you? Oh wait, it’s rude to ask that.
Let me approach this a different way.
Have you ever wondered which Disney attraction opened the same year as you? Keep reading to find out!
Warning: Many years oversaw the debut of multiple E-ticket attractions. In those instances, I arbitrarily chose an entry.
During other years – we’ll call them the late 1970s and early 1980s – the pickings were slim.
I apologize to most of you reading this who were born in 1976-1985.
Also, if you were born before 1955, you pre-date Disneyland. So, pick your favorite grandkid’s birth year instead!
1955:
Jungle Cruise
1956:
Skyway to Tomorrowland
1957:
Frontierland Shootin’ Expo
1958:
Alice in Wonderland
1959:
Disneyland Monorail
1960:
Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland
1961:
Flying Saucers
1962:
Swiss Family Treehouse
1963:
Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
1964:
Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress
1965:
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
1966:
“it’s a small world”
1967:
Pirates of the Caribbean
1968:
Adventure Thru Inner Space
(This is actually a cheat. The ride opened in August of 1967, but 1968 was totally lacking in new attractions.)
1969:
Haunted Mansion
1970:
Legacy of Walt Disney Museum
(Yes, it was a Disneyland attraction)
1971:
Country Bear Jamboree
1972:
Main Street Electrical Parade
1973:
Tom Sawyer Island
1974:
America Sings
1975:
Space Mountain
1976:
Fantasy in the Sky
(Disneyland’s fireworks date back to the late 1950s, but Magic Kingdom’s version of this who began in 1976.)
1977:
Starcade
1978:
Matterhorn Bobsleds
(This ride opened in 1959; however, Imagineers provided a comprehensive update in 1978 that’s largely in place today.)
1979:
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
1980:
El Rio del Tiempo
(As the 1970s ended, Imagineers turned all their attention toward EPCOT Center. So, all significant projects during these years debuted in 1982.)
1981:
World of Motion
(Also a 1982 opening day EPCOT attraction)
1982:
Spaceship Earth
1983:
Pinocchio’s Daring Journey
1984:
Magic Journeys
1985:
Videopolis
(A teen dance club – sorry, the early 1980s weren’t great other than Epcot)
1986:
Captain EO
1987:
Star Tours
1988:
Maelstrom
1989:
Splash Mountain
1990:
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure
1991:
Muppet*Vision 3D
1992:
Phantom Manor
1993:
Gadget’s Go Coaster
1994:
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
1995:
Indiana Jones Adventure
1996:
Ellen’s Energy Adventure
1997:
Off Kilter
(Seriously, it was this or British Invasion.)
1998:
Kilimanjaro Safaris
1999:
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
2000:
Believe… in Holiday Magic
2001:
Soarin’ Over California
2002:
Journey into Imagination with Figment
2003:
Mission: SPACE
2004:
Stitch’s Great Escape
2005:
HalloWishes
2006:
Expedition Everest
2007:
Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros
2008:
Toy Story Mania!
2009:
Sum of All Thrills
2010:
Silly Symphony Swings
2011:
Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
2012:
Radiator Springs Racers
2013:
Mystic Manor
2014:
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
2015:
Paint the Night
2016:
The Muppets Present…Great Moments in American History
2017:
Avatar Flight of Passage
2018:
Slinky Dog Dash
2019:
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
2020:
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway