Niles: ‘Hard facts’ might keep Disneyland from surviving another 70 years

I spent a day trying Disneyland’s original rides. Here’s what I found

As Disneyland turns 70, I revisit the park’s most historic attractions. From spinning tea cups to a “politically corrected” jungle cruise, do they endure?

Niles: ‘Hard facts’ might keep Disneyland from surviving another 70 years

Two words that I have heard countless times over the years hit me differently last week. Disneyland’s 70th birthday on July 17 provided the park an opportunity to replay Walt Disney’s opening-day speech from 1955, including the line, “Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts that have created America.” Sign up for our Park Life newsletter and find out what’s new and interesting every week at Southern California’s them…

Disneyland of the Dead

Thoughtful stories for thoughtless times. Longreads has published hundreds of original stories—personal essays, reported features, reading lists, and more—and more than 13,000 editor’s picks. And they’re all funded by readers like you. Become a member today. I want to support Longreads Ralph Jones | Longreads | July 22, 2025 | 4,187 words (15 minutes) “A cemetery’s a really bad idea,” said Ian Dungavell. It’s not a sentence I expected from some…

Happy days at Disneyland

MANY BURGERS? How about 72? (Shutterstock). Disneyland opened 70 years ago last month and the man behind it – Walt Disney – was the fellow who probably had more influence on Orange County than any other person. The most obvious fact is that by situating his “KiddieLand” in Anaheim, he opened up the OC to a whole new world of tourism, rapid population growth and – in my case – a college job that paid for tuition, a couple of really junky cars and…