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114-536: Founded as a wildlife center in 1974 by Ross Perot , ABC television operated the park as a drive-through safari called The Largo Wildlife Preserve, from 1974 until its closure, in 1978. The property was bought by Jim Fowler 's Wild Kingdom ; thereafter, the site was gradually converted from a wildlife preserve into a theme park named Wild World. In 1992, the park was renamed “The Great Escape: Adventure World” after being acquired by Premier Parks , before being edited again to “Adventure World: The Thrill Park”. Ultimately,

228-506: A Funtime Starflyer model, similar to the many SkyScreamer rides at other locations in the chain. At 24 stories (~250 feet), Wonder Woman: Lasso of Truth is the tallest ride in the park. Announced in August 2018, Apocalypse was converted into a floorless coaster and renamed Firebird for the 2019 season. In 2023, the park announced that the park's Hurricane Harbor water park (now named Hurricane Harbor Maryland) would receive RipQurl Blaster,

342-493: A wave pool or flowrider . Water parks have grown in popularity since their roots of public swimming pools in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The first water park featuring water slides and wave pools was Wet 'n Wild, which opened in Orlando, Florida, in 1977. The United States has the largest and most concentrated water park market, with over 1,000 water parks and dozens of new parks opening each year. Major organizations are

456-501: A "classical populist", liberal populist, "telepopulist" and also a "third way" populist. Neal Allen and Brian J. Brox argue that Perot was neither left nor right-wing ideologically, and focused first and foremost on promoting reforms of the political process and grassroots democracy; despite this, they also found some notable similarities between Perot and the left-wing populism of Ralph Nader , and an average Perot voter had liberal leanings. Anton Pelinka described Perot's ideology as

570-489: A balanced budget, an end to the outsourcing of jobs, and the enactment of electronic direct democracy . A June 1992 Gallup poll showed Perot leading a three-way race against President Bush and presumptive Democratic nominee Bill Clinton . Perot withdrew from the race in July, but re-entered the race in early October after he qualified for all 50 state ballots. He chose Admiral James Stockdale as his running mate and appeared in

684-456: A children's water play area. This brought modest improvements in revenue. The 1983 season saw the addition of four more flat rides, including the High Seas (a swinging pirate ship attraction) and giant swings. The waterslide area was expanded, at the time, to a full water park ; with the addition of more water slides and a large wave pool , a more successful 1983 season was underway. Dubbed

798-471: A decade. Several months later, Six Flags would announce the removal of several licensed agreements as a result of restructuring following the company's emergence from bankruptcy. Thomas the Tank Engine, Tony Hawk , The Wiggles and Evel Knievel themes would be removed from all Six Flags parks beginning in 2011. At Six Flags America, Thomas Town was renamed Whistlestop Park and Tony Hawk's Halfpipe slide

912-413: A different balanced budget apparatus that would focus on limiting "tricks, loopholes, and improper accounting procedures" and a ban on exit polling during elections. He also postulated a ban on lobbying. From 1992, Perot was a pro-choice activist, and a strong supporter of Planned Parenthood . He stated that poorer women in particular should have access to abortions via federal funding. From 2000, he

1026-446: A dollar an hour for labor, ... have no health care—that's the most expensive single element in making a car—have no environmental controls, no pollution controls and no retirement, and you don't care about anything but making money, there will be a giant sucking sound going south." ... when [Mexico's] jobs come up from a dollar an hour to six dollars an hour, and ours go down to six dollars an hour, and then it's leveled again. But in

1140-721: A drug-smuggling operation used to finance a secret war in Laos. Perot engaged in unauthorized back-channel discussions with Vietnamese officials in the late 1980s, which led to fractured relations between Perot and the Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations . In 1990, Perot reached an agreement with Vietnam's Foreign Ministry to become its business agent if diplomatic relations were normalized. Perot also launched private investigations of, and attacks upon, United States Department of Defense official Richard Armitage . In Florida in 1990, retired financial planner Jack Gargan , employing

1254-518: A famous quotation from the 1976 movie Network , funded a series of "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore" newspaper advertisements denouncing Congress for voting to give legislators pay raises at a time when average wages nationwide were not increasing. Gargan later founded "Throw the Hypocritical Rascals Out" (THRO), which Perot supported. Perot did not support President George H. W. Bush , and vigorously opposed

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1368-432: A few new flat rides . In 1989, a log flume was added, along with a family raft waterslide in the waterpark. In 1990, the park began to have maintenance issues with many of their carnival-style flat rides, with several unable to be repaired. In 1991, only nine flat rides remained and the park was ultimately put up for sale. In 1992, Wild World was purchased by Tierco Group Inc. , later known as Premier Parks, which renamed

1482-424: A few of the animal areas, stop at Safari Village, and tour the rest of the animal exhibits, before arriving back at the station. The Safari Village featured elephant, camel and pony rides, a petting zoo, various eateries, arts-and-crafts, and games; the crowd favorite, “Guess Your Age Or Weight” (featuring Regina Williams ), proved so popular that it was relocated to the main park. The animals were sold and moved after

1596-415: A group of revolutionaries to storm the jail and free all 10,000 inmates, many of whom were political prisoners. The two prisoners then connected with the rescue team, which led them out of Iran through a border crossing into Turkey. The exploit was recounted in the book On Wings of Eagles by Ken Follett . In 1986 this was turned into a two-part television mini-series (alternatively titled "Teheran") with

1710-495: A junior officer on a destroyer, and later, an aircraft carrier from 1953 to 1957. Perot, who had only ever owned one pair of shoes at a time, was shocked to find that he was issued multiple pairs of shoes in the navy, which he would later point to as "possibly my first example of government waste". Perot then went to the Naval Reserve, which he left on June 30, 1961, with the rank of lieutenant . His father died when Perot

1824-540: A large gala was thrown at the park to commemorate the change. Carrot cake was served in honor of Bugs Bunny the new mascot for the park. The name change allowed for the park to utilize the Looney Tunes and DC characters in its marketing. Other changes included the addition of Gotham City, a new section in the park, and three new coasters – Two Face: The Flip Side , The Joker's Jinx (the park's only launched roller coaster ), and Great Chase replacing Cannonball in

1938-734: A largely negative view of Perot that was absent before his decision to end the campaign. In September, he qualified for all 50 state ballots. On October 1, he announced his intention to re-enter the presidential race. He campaigned in 16 states and spent an estimated $ 12.3 million of his own money. Perot employed the innovative strategy of purchasing half-hour blocks of time on major networks for infomercial -type campaign advertisements; this advertising garnered more viewership than many sitcoms, with one Friday night program in October attracting 10.5 million viewers. At one point in June, Perot led

2052-454: A new roller coaster named Ragin' Cajun and a set of Flying Scooters named French Quarter Flyers. Like Apocalypse, Ragin' Cajun was relocated from Six Flags Great America and it was placed in the former location of Two Face: The Flip Side which was removed from the park in 2007. The Mardi Gras section replaced Southwest Territory and the area's existing rides were rethemed to match the new Mardi Gras theme. Tower of Doom , for example,

2166-522: A number of heterogeneous groups. In 2016, FiveThirtyEight described the theory that Perot was a spoiler as "unlikely". Based on his performance in the popular vote in 1992, Perot was entitled to receive federal election funding for 1996. Perot remained in the public eye after the election and championed opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). During the campaign, he had urged voters to listen for

2280-488: A plurality of votes in some counties. His popular vote total is still by far the most ever garnered for a non-major-party candidate, almost double the previous record set by Wallace in 1968. A detailed analysis of voting demographics revealed that Perot's support drew heavily from across the political spectrum, with 20% of his votes coming from self-described liberals , 27% from self-described conservatives , and 53% coming from self-described moderates. Economically, however,

2394-501: A small number of states, Perot's vote was more evenly spread across the country. Perot managed to finish second in two states: in Maine , Perot received 30.44% of the vote—ahead of part-time resident Bush's 30.39% (Clinton won Maine with 38.77%); and in Utah , Perot received 27.34% of the vote—ahead of Clinton's 24.65% (Bush won Utah with 43.36%). Although Perot did not win a state, he received

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2508-457: A symbol of corruption and inequality. He argued that such trade agreements only benefited the companies while robbing the US of its tax base and blue-collar jobs. Perot famously stated during the October 15 debate that NAFTA would create a " giant sucking sound " on American jobs. The populism of Ross Perot is hard to define and is a contested topic amongst political scientists. Perot was described as

2622-455: A town filled with sound bites , shell games , handlers, media stuntmen who posture, create images, talk, shoot off Roman candles , but don't ever accomplish anything. We need deeds, not words, in this city. Perot's candidacy received increasing media attention when the competitive phase of the primary season ended for the two major parties. With the insurgent candidacies of Republican Pat Buchanan and Democrat Jerry Brown winding down, Perot

2736-607: A visit to Laos in 1969, made at the request of the White House , in which he met with senior North Vietnamese officials, Perot became heavily involved in the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue . He believed that hundreds of American servicemen were left behind in Southeast Asia at the end of the U.S. involvement in the war, and that government officials were covering up POW/MIA investigations to avoid revealing

2850-515: Is Looney Tunes Movie Town. Former Kid's Areas was Thomas Town that only operated during the 2010 season and Whistlestop Park Hurricane Harbor Maryland is a water park located within Six Flags America and has additional charge for entry. During 2020. It was known as Paradise Island until 2005 when it was rebranded Hurricane Harbor. Including Former Hurricane Harbor Water slides These rides were renamed following an improvement to

2964-756: Is another huge water park in the Dells. The largest indoor water park in the UK is Sandcastle Water Park in Blackpool , England, which opened in 1986. There are many water parks in southern Europe where the climate suits a long season. For example, in Portugal 's Algarve , there are three main parks: Aqualand, Aquashow, and Slide and Splash. Water play areas are similar to water parks and include urban beaches , splash pads , and smaller collections of water slides in many hotels and public swimming pools . For example,

3078-635: Is in 2016 the largest indoor water park in the world. With five indoor water parks, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin has been dubbed the "Water Park Capital of the World". It showcases several of America's largest indoor and outdoor water parks, such as Noah's Ark Water Park . Wisconsin Dells is also home to the first indoor water park in the United States, which was debuted in 1994 by the Polynesian Resort Hotel. Success in extending

3192-638: Is supposed to be an all year New Orleans Mardi Gras celebration. Added to the park in 2014, the new themed land features the Ragin' Cajun , a wild mouse coaster where guests are trying to escape the attack of alligators in the Bayou . This land also features The Wild One , a wooden coaster that turned 100 years old in 2017, as well as the Bourbon Street Fireball, a Larson International a 22M Giant Loop flat ride, themed to Fireball . Added in

3306-531: The 1992 election , he received 18.9% of the popular vote, about 19,741,065 votes, but no electoral college votes, making him the most successful non-major-party presidential candidate in terms of share of the popular vote since Theodore Roosevelt in the 1912 election . Unlike Perot, however, multiple third-party candidates since Roosevelt had won electoral college votes: Robert La Follette in 1924, Strom Thurmond in 1948, and George Wallace in 1968. Compared with Thurmond and Wallace, who polled very strongly in

3420-539: The 1996 U.S. presidential election as the nominee of the Reform Party , which was formed by grassroots supporters of Perot's 1992 campaign. Although he failed to carry a single state in either election, both campaigns were among the strongest presidential showings by a third party or independent candidate in U.S. history. Born and raised in Texarkana, Texas , Perot became a salesman for IBM after serving in

3534-532: The 1996 United States presidential election . His vice presidential running mate was Pat Choate . Because of the ballot access laws, he had to run as an independent on many state ballots. Perot received 8% of the popular vote in 1996, lower than in the 1992 race, but still an unusually successful third-party showing by U.S. standards. He spent much less of his own money in this race than he had four years prior, and he also allowed other people to contribute to his campaign, unlike his prior race. One common explanation for

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3648-593: The Chelsea Hotel in Toronto features a four-story water slide called the Corkscrew. According to estimates from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission , more than 4,200 people annually are sent to emergency rooms from suffering injuries on public waterslides. In July 2015, one drowning and at least three near-drownings were reported at water parks in the United States. On August 7, 2016, Caleb Schwab,

3762-465: The Chesapeake Bay . It embodies life on the water, featuring Life Savers and fishing nets caught on drift-wood. It is home to Firebird , and Roar . This area was split into two different sections, Skull Island and Olde Boston until Olde Boston was brought back in 2022. Skull Island focused heavily on the inclusion of pirates. A colonial themed area. Looney Tunes Movie Town is inspired by

3876-656: The City of Gotham , and Looney Tunes: Movie Town. Main Street 1776 , also known as Liberty Street, or just Main Street, is inspired by Colonial North America set during the American Revolution . The buildings feature colonial design and host stores and restaurants. A replica of the Liberty Bell is featured at the entrance of the street. In Chesapeake guests can experience the motifs that surround life on

3990-595: The DMV 's tallest water coaster . The park is located in Upper Marlboro, Maryland and is situated about 15 miles east of Washington, D.C. and 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Baltimore . The park covers 523 acres (2.12 km), with 300 available for expansion. Six Flags America is divided into seven themed areas inspired by the different extremes of the United States , as well as fictional settings like

4104-522: The East Coast of the United States ”. The Stephensons and Perot formed the company C.T. Industries, Inc. to build and run the park. Ultimately, they narrowed their decision down to the D.C. area, and purchased 280 acres (1.1 km) of land in Prince George's County, Maryland. On December 22, 1971, they applied to the Prince George's County planning board for a special zoning exception. The park

4218-472: The IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) and WWA ( World Waterpark Association ), which is the industry trade association. Water parks which emerge from spas tend to more closely resemble mountain resorts, as they become year-round destinations. For example, Splash Universe Water Park Resort is themed to match the community in which it is located. The theme is intended to enhance

4332-597: The Looney Tunes cartoons of the 1930s and 1940s and the aesthetic of the era. It allows guests the chance to visit the homes of the cartoons' stars, such as Bugs Bunny and Granny . The "town" features the Great Chase , a children's coaster that takes guests through the set of the next Looney Tunes cartoon being filmed, starring Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner . Formerly South West Territory, Mardi Gras

4446-582: The New York Stock Exchange " when his EDS shares dropped $ 445 million ($ 2.7 billion in today's money) in value in a single day in April 1970. In 1984, General Motors bought a controlling interest in EDS for $ 2.4 billion ($ 6 billion). In 1985, Perot sold EDS to General Motors with the idea that he and EDS would have a leadership role within the company. However, Perot's plan

4560-477: The United States Navy . In 1962, he founded Electronic Data Systems, a data processing service company. In 1984, General Motors bought a controlling interest in the company for $ 2.4 billion ($ 6 billion in 2023). Perot established Perot Systems in 1988 and was an angel investor for NeXT , a computer company founded by Steve Jobs after he left Apple . Perot also became heavily involved in

4674-517: The Vietnam War POW/MIA issue , arguing that hundreds of American servicemen were left behind in Southeast Asia after the Vietnam War . During the presidency of George H. W. Bush , Perot became increasingly active in politics and strongly opposed the Gulf War and ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement . In 1992, Perot announced his intention to run for president and advocated

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4788-729: The colony of Louisiana in the 1740s. Perot attended a local private school, Patty Hill, before graduating from Texas High School in Texarkana in 1947. His first job, at eight years old, was helping to distribute the Texarkana Gazette as a paperboy. He joined the Boy Scouts of America and made Eagle Scout in 1942, after 13 months in the program, and was a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award . One of Perot's childhood friends

4902-550: The federal budget , favoring certain types of gun control, ending the outsourcing of jobs and enacting electronic direct democracy via "electronic town halls ", he became a potential candidate and soon polled roughly even with the two major-party candidates. Perot denounced Congress for its inaction in a speech at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on March 18, 1992; he said: This city has become

5016-410: The " giant sucking sound " of American jobs heading south to Mexico should NAFTA be ratified. Perot tried to keep his movement alive through the mid-1990s, continuing to speak about the increasing national debt. He was a prominent campaigner against NAFTA, and frequently claimed that American manufacturing jobs would go to Mexico. On November 10, 1993, Perot debated with then-Vice President Al Gore on

5130-549: The "industries of the future". When asked about objections to his plans from free-market advocates, Perot said: "Don’t they realize that the biogenetics industry is the result of our federally funded research universities and the National Institutes of Health ?" Perot was strongly opposed to neoliberalism , and was credited with marking the "first clear repudiation" of the neoliberal economic policies pursued by Ronald Reagan : "A disturbing trend has emerged from

5244-451: The "populism of the centre", presenting a distinct form of populism that significantly differed from left-wing and right-wing populist movements that appeared in the USA. Matthijs Rooduijn argues that Perot was an example of a liberal populist with centre-left leanings, noting his hostility to Reaganomics - in the 1992 election, Perot stated that USA was in crisis caused by "the decade of greed,

5358-431: The 'Wild Wave', $ 2 million was spent adding the wave pool and it officially opened May 30 for the 1983 season. Tragically, a 9-year-old boy named Christie Davis died late that summer while in the wave pool, which resulted in operational safety changes. The park's attendance had improved, but the park was still unable to break-even. During the 1983 season, the safari was closed; instead, a guided train tour would pass through

5472-475: The 1983 season ended. In 1984, most of the adult rides were removed from the park and held in storage, leaving only three, plus a few of the children's rides. The park opted to move in the direction of being solely a water park. A new stadium was built that year, along with several more water slides. The park would perform very well on hot days, but faltered a bit more in cooler weather, due to the shift in predominantly swimming- and water-based attractions. In 1985,

5586-413: The 1992 debates with Bush and Clinton. In the election, Perot did not win any electoral votes, but won over 19.7 million votes for an 18.9% share of the popular vote. He won support from across the ideological and partisan spectrum, but performed best among self-described moderates. Perot ran for president again in 1996, establishing the Reform Party as a vehicle for his campaign. He won 8.4 percent of

5700-467: The 2000s, an effort was made to reduce long waiting lines by introducing conveyor belts to lift passengers or use water jets. An unusual feature at a water park is ice skating . Deep River Water Park in northwestern Indiana features ice skating, made possible by cooling pipes installed under their massive plaza. Some of the first indoor water parks are Tikibad at Duinrell (The Netherlands, 1984), Nautiland located at Haguenau (France, 1984),

5814-647: The Aqua Mundo at Center Parc De Eemhof located at Zeewolde (The Netherlands, 1980) and Alpamare (Pfäffikon) (Switzerland, 1977). In 1986 World Waterpark was open in Edmonton , Alberta, Canada at the West Edmonton Mall . It is in 2016 the largest indoor water park in North America. Tropical Islands Resort ( Germany ), with an area of 66,000 m (710,418 sq ft),

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5928-639: The Democratic challenger Clinton and incumbent President George H.W. Bush". In the debate, he remarked: Keep in mind our Constitution predates the Industrial Revolution . Our founders did not know about electricity, the train, telephones, radio, television, automobiles, airplanes, rockets, nuclear weapons, satellites, or space exploration. There's a lot they didn't know about. It would be interesting to see what kind of document they'd draft today. Just keeping it frozen in time won't hack it. In

6042-532: The Diamondback), while the other track became known as the Python and would be located at Adventure World. Also, a water ride called Shipwreck Falls, in which a 15-person boat would run up a steel track and down a 45-foot (14 m) drop into a splashwater pool, was added. More flat rides were added in 1994. By this time, the new additions were well-received, shown as Inside Track Magazine named Adventure World as

6156-628: The Perot campaign) allegedly threatened to quit, but senior campaign officials denied this. On July 15, Ed Rollins resigned after Perot fired advertisement specialist Hal Riney , who had worked with Rollins on the Reagan campaign. Rollins would later claim that a member of the campaign accused him of being a Bush plant with ties to the Central Intelligence Agency . Amid the chaos, Perot's support fell to 20%. The next day, Perot announced on Larry King Live that he would not seek

6270-598: The U.S. national debt, and related issues. In 2012, Perot endorsed Romney for president again. Perot did not give any endorsements for the 2016 election . Perot did not fit the usual political stereotypes; his views were seen as either pragmatic or populist, depending on the observer, and usually focused on his economic policy, such as balancing the budget, to gain support from both Democratic and Republican voters. Perot supported stricter gun control such as an assault weapons ban and supported increased research in AIDS . Perot

6384-413: The United States' involvement in the 1990–1991 Persian Gulf War . He unsuccessfully urged Senators to vote against the war resolution, and began to consider a presidential run. On February 20, 1992, Perot appeared on CNN 's Larry King Live and announced his intention to run as an independent if his supporters could get his name on the ballot in all 50 states. With such declared policies as balancing

6498-660: The actor Burt Lancaster playing the role of Colonel Simons and Richard Crenna as Perot. In 1984, Perot's Perot Foundation bought a very early copy of Magna Carta , one of only a few to leave the United Kingdom. The foundation lent it to the National Archives in Washington, D.C., where it was displayed alongside the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States . In 2007,

6612-478: The area in 2001. Several flat rides were added in 2002 and a river rapids ride called Blizzard River was added in 2003. In 2005, the Paradise Island water park was upgraded and retitled Six Flags Hurricane Harbor . The transition from Paradise Island to Hurricane Harbor saw the addition of a new Tornado water slide as well as renovations to existing attractions and buildings. Tony Hawk's Halfpipe water slide

6726-487: The ballot in all 50 states. This sense of momentum was reinforced when Perot employed two savvy campaign managers in Democrat Hamilton Jordan and Republican Ed Rollins . While Perot was pondering whether to run for office, his supporters established a campaign organization United We Stand America . Perot was late in making formal policy proposals, but most of what he did call for was intended to reduce

6840-401: The benefit? The rich did, of course, because that's who owns most of the capital assets." Together with increased taxes on the wealthy, Perot also supported curbing entitlement payments and tax rebates to the affluent, and spoke in favor of eliminating the government's air fleet and other Washington perks for legislators, mocking the privileges that the US legislators enjoyed. He also argued that

6954-511: The community's destination appeal. Therefore, the amusement and leisure-time industry is becoming more concentrated, as winter sports are becoming common themes in summertime water recreation. A process of concentration can be observed in the hybrid versions of theme- , amusement- , and water parks. Some water parks are more spa-oriented. For example, SchwabenQuellen has no water slides; it has instead many saunas , steam rooms , "adventure showers", and relaxation-oriented water play areas. In

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7068-478: The company Six Flags Incorporated. The same year, a wooden roller coaster called Roar , which was built and designed by Great Coasters International , was added to Adventure World. At the end of 1998 season, Six Flags announced that Adventure World would be branded with the Six Flags theme and renamed Six Flags America for the 1999 season. The park was officially renamed Six Flags America on October 28, 1998, and

7182-490: The decade of greed, the era of trickle-down economics and the period of capital gains tax manipulation. We are headed for a two-class society." In his 1993 book Not For Sale at Any Price , Perot expressed support for giving tax cuts for small and medium-sized enterprises , as opposed to larger corporations. Additionally, Perot supported a balanced budget amendment, stating, "spending should not exceed revenue for 27 consecutive years." On trade, Perot stated that NAFTA caused

7296-406: The decline was Perot's exclusion from the presidential debates , based on the preferences of the Democratic and Republican party candidates. Law professor Jamie Raskin filed a lawsuit over Perot's exclusion years later. In the 2000 presidential election , Perot refused to become openly involved with the internal Reform Party dispute between supporters of Pat Buchanan and John Hagelin . Perot

7410-908: The deficit, such as a fuel tax increase and cutbacks to Social Security . In June, Perot led a Gallup poll with 39% of the vote. In July, the Perot campaign fell into disarray and his polls fell sharply. The 1992 Democratic National Convention was held on Monday, July 13 through Thursday, July 16, during which time there was increased media coverage of the general election. The Milwaukee Sentinel reported that Perot's campaign managers were becoming increasingly disillusioned by Perot's unwillingness to follow their advice to be more specific on issues, and his need to be in full control of operations. The St. Petersburg Times reported such tactics as forcing volunteers to sign loyalty oaths . Perot's poll numbers had slipped to 25%, and his advisers warned that if he continued to ignore them, he would fall into single digits. Hamilton Jordan (a high-ranking manager in

7524-574: The era of trickle-down economics". In his famous The Populist Explosion: How the Great Recession Transformed American and European Politics publication, John Judis wrote that "Perot represented a left and center-left populism", in tradition of the Populist Party and Huey Long . According to Judis, Perot "represented the first clear repudiation of the neoliberal agenda." Regarding foreign policy, Perot

7638-468: The foundation sold it to David Rubenstein , managing director of The Carlyle Group for $ 21.3 million ($ 30.2 million) to be used "for medical research, for improving public education and for assisting wounded soldiers and their families". It remains on display at the National Archives. After Steve Jobs lost the power struggle at Apple and left to found NeXT , his angel investor

7752-469: The government should protect the job base through intervention in the market. He spoke in support of creating a national industrial ministry based on the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry , which would increase state control over large businesses and direct their investment. Perot stressed that the government should ensure that both public and private investments would target

7866-468: The invasion of Kuwait - according to Perot, the Bush administration covertly aided Hussein's chemical weapons programs and turned a blind eye to Iraqi plans against Kuwait, instructing April Glaspie to greenlight Hussein's invasion on assumption that he would only seize Kuwait's northern oil fields. Perot claimed that Bush invaded Iraq because its actions threatened Bush's "manhood", and stated: "off we go into

7980-412: The issue on Larry King Live with an audience of 16 million viewers. Perot's behavior during the debate was a source of mirth thereafter, including his repeated pleas to "let me finish" in his southern drawl. The debate was seen by many as effectively ending Perot's political career. Support for NAFTA went from 34% to 57%. In 1995, he founded the Reform Party and won their presidential nomination for

8094-497: The kiddie area. Python was closed and moved into storage. For the 2000 season, a new hypercoaster called Superman: Ride of Steel from Intamin opened. Its layout is a mirror image of Six Flags Darien Lake 's Ride of Steel which opened the previous year. The next year on June 16, the park opened Batwing , a Batman -themed Vekoma flying coaster located in the Gotham City area. A bungee ride called Skycoaster also opened in

8208-456: The majority of Perot voters (57%) were middle class, earning between $ 15,000 and $ 49,000 annually, with the bulk of the remainder drawing from the upper-middle class (29% earning more than $ 50,000 annually). Exit polls also showed that 38% of Perot voters would have otherwise voted for Bush, and 38% would have voted for Clinton. Though there were widespread claims that Perot acted as a "spoiler", post-election analysis suggested that his presence in

8322-502: The meantime, you've wrecked the country with these kinds of deals. Water park A water park (also waterpark , water world , or aquapark ) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools , water slides , splash pads , water playgrounds, and lazy rivers , as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other barefoot environments. Modern water parks may also be equipped with some type of artificial surfing or bodyboarding environment, such as

8436-458: The most improved amusement park in the country for a third consecutive year in 1994. On May 20, 1995, Vekoma 's first Mind Eraser, an inverted looping suspended coaster, opened. This was branded a SLC . In 1996, a free-fall drop-tower ride called the Tower of Doom, now known as Voodo Drop, made by Intamin was added. In 1997, the park added a second dry water ride called Typhoon Sea Coaster, which

8550-430: The old PTC coaster, rebranding it “ The Wild One ” and placing it in an area of the former animal park. The coaster opened in the spring of 1986 to very positive public reviews, and is still running to this day. A kiddie coaster was added to the park at the same time. For the 1987 season, Wild World added another water play area and a lazy river . In 1988, the park would see a renovation to its buildings and midways, and

8664-498: The park Adventure World. That year several flat rides and a few kiddie rides were added. In 1993, Adventure World added its second adult rollercoaster. Premier Parks had acquired Lightning Loops from Six Flags . This was a dual-track steel single looping shuttle coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure . One of the tracks was sent to Premier Parks' Frontier City located in Oklahoma City (where it still operates today as

8778-470: The park added narrated tours through four-car, 150-person-capacity shuttle trains. However, the park failed to promote itself, effectively enough, to generate public interest or profits. In an effort to save-face, ABCSWA announced a $ 30m amusement park expansion to the struggling drive-through safari (around $ 171.6m in 2023). Plans for the expansion were scrapped, and, in February 1976, it was announced that

8892-447: The park was sold to Jim Fowler , the host of Wild Kingdom . For the 1979 season, the park reopened with a guided train tour through the safari exhibits, and a smaller park with a children's playground, animal shows, and a petting zoo. Alas, the park continued to flounder in terms of public interest, yet nevertheless remained operational for the summer, through the 1979 season. Fowler's company ultimately bowed out as well. The park again

9006-484: The park were taken-over by ABC ’s Scenic & Wildlife Attractions division (ABCSWA). On April 28, 1973, John E. Campbell (ABCSWA President) confirmed they were negotiating the purchase of another 125 adjacent acres for the park. The Wildlife Preserve , a drive-through wildlife park, opened on Monday, July 15, 1974. Initially, estimated attendance was approximately 850,000 visitors a year. However, those reasonably ambitious attendance numbers never materialized. In 1975,

9120-491: The park will feature a steampunk-esque theming with complete retheming to rides and shopping, as well as a new stunt show. It is scheduled for June 2024 release in anticipation with SFA's 25th anniversary celebration, as announced via Six Flags Americas' email newsletter directly to passholders. A specific date is unknown at this time. New rides announced include: Steamwhirler, QuantumCanyon Rapids, Electro Derby, and Professor Screamore's Skywinder. Six Flags America's Kid Section

9234-681: The park would be rebranded as the tenth Six Flags park, after Premier Parks acquired Six Flags Inc., and adopted its name, in 1999; the name-change to Six Flags America—and all associated IP and theming —was unveiled for the park’s 2000 operating season. The "America" in the park's name was chosen due to the park's close proximity to the U.S. capital; the park’s entry plaza and “promenade” also features colonial-era architecture and related theming of Colonial Maryland . In June 1971, Irish brothers Frank and William Stephenson, who were both animal trainers, approached Texas billionaire Ross Perot about financing an animal park they wanted to open “somewhere on

9348-427: The park would close permanently. ABCSWA released a statement, claiming that the park had experienced “unacceptable attendance and revenues” in 1974 and 1975; The Wildlife Preserve itself was said to be a $ 4m liability for ABC, for the year 1975 (approximately $ 22.8m in 2023). The park stayed open with a decreased staff in 1977, but was closed altogether for the 1978 season. Before the year 1978 came to an end, however,

9462-759: The pioneer days of the American frontier , the land drops guests in the frontier town of Coyote Creek . From its opening in 1994, it has offered entertainment and attractions include Renegade Rapids, a white water rafting ride down the dangerous rivers of the west inspired by the Colorado River . Coyote Creek is home to the Crazy Horse Saloon, a nod to the western saloons where cowboys used to drink and relax. Six Flags America announced in 2023 that Coyote Creek would be shut down and completely replaced into an appropriately named SteamTown. The portion of

9576-423: The polls with 39% (versus 31% for Bush and 25% for Clinton). Just prior to the debates, Perot received 7–9% support in nationwide polls. The debates likely played a significant role in his ultimate receipt of almost 19% of the popular vote. Although his answers during the debates were often general, Frank Newport of Gallup concluded that Perot "convincingly won the first debate, coming in significantly ahead of both

9690-406: The popular vote against President Clinton and Republican nominee Bob Dole . Perot did not seek public office again after 1996. He endorsed Republican George W. Bush over Reform nominee Pat Buchanan in the 2000 election and supported Republican Mitt Romney in 2008 and 2012. In 2009, Dell acquired Perot Systems for $ 3.9 billion ($ 5.4 billion in 2023). According to Forbes , Perot

9804-540: The presidency. He explained that he did not want the House of Representatives to decide the election if the result caused the electoral college to be split. Perot eventually stated the reason was that he received threats that digitally altered photographs would be released by the Bush campaign to sabotage his daughter's wedding. Whatever his reasons for withdrawing, his reputation was badly damaged. Many of his supporters felt betrayed, and public opinion polls subsequently showed

9918-474: The race likely did not affect the outcome. According to Seymour Martin Lipset , the 1992 election had several unique characteristics. Voters felt that economic conditions were worse than they actually were, which harmed Bush. A strong third-party candidate was a rare event. Liberals launched a backlash against 12 years of a conservative White House. The chief factor was Clinton's uniting his party, and winning over

10032-414: The ride Ross Perot Henry Ross Perot Sr. ( / p ə ˈ r oʊ / pə- ROH ; June 27, 1930 – July 9, 2019) was an American businessman, politician and philanthropist. He was the founder and chief executive officer of Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems . He ran an independent campaign in the 1992 U.S. presidential election and a third-party campaign in

10146-407: The rides were therefore brought back out of storage. That year, Wild World's management wanted to build a major wooden rollercoaster for the park in the 1986 season, but the costs were too high. There was widespread opposition to the plan from the surrounding community. In addition to adding a roller coaster, the park intended to add a 3000-seat amphitheater, and an overnight campground for guests. At

10260-416: The state of progress on issues that he had raised in his presidential runs. In January 2008, Perot publicly came out against Republican candidate John McCain and endorsed Mitt Romney for president. He also announced that he would soon be launching a new website with updated economic graphs and charts. In June 2008, his blog launched, focusing on entitlements ( Medicare , Medicaid , Social security ),

10374-516: The time, Knoebels (amusement park in Pennsylvania ) had acquired a used rollercoaster, Phoenix , from a defunct park in Texas; Wild World's management team was inspired and began looking for a used coaster for Wild World. With Massachusetts ’ Paragon Park closing at the end of 1984, their “ Giant Coaster ”, which had operated since 1917, was for-sale; in the spring of 1985, Wild World acquired

10488-515: The tourist season and turning water park resorts into vacation destinations has resulted in tremendous industry growth. Usually, resort hotels featuring massive indoor water parks have been reserved for overnight guests. Companies like Great Wolf Resorts /Great Wolf Lodge and Kalahari Resorts have branched out from their origin in Wisconsin Dells to open new locations around the country. Mt. Olympus Theme and Water Park (formerly Family Land)

10602-407: The trade deficit between Mexico and the United States and a loss of manufacturing jobs. His position on free trade and NAFTA became his defining campaign principle of both the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections. Perot argued: "We have got to stop sending jobs overseas. It's pretty simple: If you're paying $ 12, $ 13, $ 14 an hour for factory workers and you can move your factory south of the border, pay

10716-410: The wealthiest people in the United States. Just before the 1979 Iranian Revolution , the government of Iran imprisoned two EDS employees in a contract dispute. Perot organized and sponsored their rescue. The rescue team was led by retired United States Army Special Forces Colonel Arthur D. "Bull" Simons . When the team was unable to find a way to extract the two prisoners, they decided to wait for

10830-514: The wild blue yonder with the lives of our servicemen at risk because of 10 years of stupid mistakes". Perot also focused on anti-lobbying and political reform proposals - he favored a presidential line item veto against " pork barrel spending and waste", elimination of political action committees (PACs) to curb the influence of special interest groups, replacement of the Gramm–Rudman–Hollings Balanced Budget Act with

10944-515: The year 2000, Gotham City is a land that allows guests to experience the dark and dirty industrial district of DC Comics' most notorious city. Guests can be held hostage by The Joker and forced to ride his Jinxed carnival coaster. They can soar above the clouds with Superman , on the Superman - Ride of Steel , or hope to stay dry while rushing down the Penguin's Blizzard River . Recreating

11058-669: Was Hayes McClerkin , who later became the Speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives and a prominent lawyer in Texarkana, Arkansas . From 1947 to 1949, he attended Texarkana Junior College , then entered the United States Naval Academy in 1949 and helped establish its honor system . Perot claimed his appointment notice to the academy—sent by telegram—was sent by W. Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel , Texas's 34th governor and former senator. Perot served as

11172-677: Was 25 years old. In 1956, Perot married Margot Birmingham, whom he met on a blind date as a midshipman docked in Baltimore . After he left the Navy in 1957, Perot became a salesman for IBM . He quickly became a top employee (one year, he fulfilled his annual sales quota in two weeks) and tried to pitch his ideas to supervisors, who largely ignored him. He left IBM in 1962 to found Electronic Data Systems (EDS) in Dallas , Texas, and courted large corporations for his data processing services. Perot

11286-560: Was Perot, who invested over $ 20 million. Perot believed in Jobs and did not want to miss out, as he had with his chance to invest in Bill Gates 's fledgling Microsoft . In 1988, he founded Perot Systems in Plano, Texas . His son, Ross Perot Jr. , eventually succeeded him as CEO. In September 2009, Perot Systems was acquired by Dell for $ 3.9 billion ($ 5.4 billion). After

11400-400: Was a log flume/junior rollercoaster hybrid. It was later renamed Skull Mountain and eventually closed in July 2011 to make room for a new roller coaster. In 1997, the water park was renovated, eliminating some older slides, adding newer slides and extensively remodeling the children's water play area. In 1998, Premier Parks acquired the Six Flags amusement park chain from Time Warner , forming

11514-553: Was added in 2008. In 2010, Six Flags America renovated the Hurricane Bay wave pool deck, adding a new stamped, concrete deck and additional shading. Also the same year, the Thomas Town family area opened featuring eight rides and attractions all themed to Thomas the Tank Engine . The 3.5-acre (14,000 m) area was billed as North America's largest Thomas Town and marked Six Flags America's largest expansion in more than

11628-427: Was an outspoken opponent of the Gulf War and condemned Bush for the military intervention against Iraq. He instead promoted a more isolationist foreign policy, arguing that USA should focus on rebuilding its economy. In his 1992 presidential campaign, Perot stated that his "highest foreign policy priority is to get our house in order and make America work again". He attacked Bush for his ties to Saddam Hussein prior to

11742-460: Was announced to the public in February 1972, with a projected opening before the end of that year. It's quite a lot of fun to see these two fellows [Frank and Williams Stephenson] put this together... I didn't know them at all until they walked into my office with their idea... I'm convinced they have the ability to do this well. I'm just a guy standing there with a grease gun. I can lubricate their idea with financial encouragement. In 1973, plans for

11856-469: Was asked to testify before the Texas Legislature in support of proposals to extend access to technology to students, including making laptops available to them. He supported changing the process of buying textbooks by making e-books available and by allowing schools to purchase books at the local level instead of going through the state. In an April 2005 interview, Perot expressed concern about

11970-494: Was closed for the 1980 season. In the Summer of 1980, the safari was sold to a group of local businessmen, who invested $ 11 million into expanding the park. The animal drive-through safari remained, and the park added three flat rides , two kid's rides and a carousel . The park was named Wild World and open by June 26, 1982. In addition to the select amusement rides, four tube waterslides were added, along with two body slides and

12084-546: Was denied bids for contracts 77 times before receiving his first contract. EDS received lucrative contracts from the US government in the 1960s, computerizing Medicare records. EDS went public in 1968, and the stock price rose from $ 16 a share to $ 160 within days. Fortune called Perot the "fastest, richest Texan" in a 1968 cover story. In December 1969, his shares in EDS were briefly worth $ 1 billion. Perot gained some press attention for being "the biggest individual loser ever on

12198-436: Was hesitant on covering the issue of gay rights during his 1992 campaign , but openly supported gay rights in 1996 . Perot spoke in favor of "comprehensive national health care plan — one that would be akin to Medicare but for all Americans, not just the needy". He also became known for his opposition to NAFTA; Perot believed that the power of corporations must be curbed, and saw the transfer of jobs to other countries as

12312-468: Was ignored by the management of General Motors, prompting Perot to leave and later found Perot Systems. Perot's experience with GM contributed to him becoming an outspoken critic of corporate America. In the same year, Perot became the second-richest man in the United States, only behind Sam Moore Walton , with a fortune estimated at $ 1.8 billion ($ 4.3 billion), according to the Forbes 400 list of

12426-403: Was pro-choice reluctantly. Perot believed taxes should be increased on the wealthy, while spending should be cut to help pay off the national debt. Perot also believed the capital gains tax should be increased, while giving tax breaks to those starting new businesses. "We cut the capital gains tax rate from a maximum rate of 35% to a maximum rate that got as low as 20% during the 1980s. Who got

12540-450: Was renamed Halfpipe . For 2012, the park added Apocalypse , a stand-up roller coaster from Bolliger & Mabillard , which featured two inversions and a ten-story drop. The roller coaster had previously operated as Iron Wolf at Six Flags Great America . In 2013, the park added the six-slide complex Bonzai Pipelines to Hurricane Harbor. In 2014, Six Flags re-themed a section of the park to feature Mardi Gras. The area would feature

12654-445: Was renamed Voodoo Drop . In 2015, a flat ride called Bourbon Street Fireball was added. This ride is commonly known as a Super Loop. Similar rides were also added to three other Six Flags parks. In 2016, Six Flags America added a new family water play structure to Hurricane Harbor named Splashwater Falls, which replaced the former Crocodile Cal's Beach House. Six Flags America announced on September 1, 2016, that they would be adding

12768-506: Was reportedly unhappy with what he saw as the disintegration of the party, as well as his own portrayal in the press; thus, he chose to remain quiet. He appeared on Larry King Live four days before the election and endorsed George W. Bush for president. Despite his earlier opposition to NAFTA, Perot remained largely silent about expanded use of guest-worker visas in the United States, with Buchanan supporters attributing this silence to his corporate reliance on foreign workers. In 2005, Perot

12882-431: Was the 167th richest person in the United States as of 2016. Perot died from leukemia in Dallas , Texas, on July 9, 2019. Ross Perot was born in Texarkana, Texas in 1930, the son of Lula May ( née Ray) and Gabriel Ross Perot, a commodity broker specializing in cotton contracts. He had an older brother, Gabriel Perot Jr., who died as a toddler. His patrilineal line traces back to a French-Canadian immigrant to

12996-406: Was the natural beneficiary of populist resentment toward establishment politicians. On May 25, 1992, he was featured on the cover of Time with the title "Waiting for Perot", an allusion to Samuel Beckett 's play Waiting for Godot . Several months before the Democratic and Republican conventions, Perot filled the vacuum of election news, as his supporters began petition drives to get him on

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