This is a great collection of vintage photos from Dark Roasted Blend.

Since there was no “Harry Potter” in IMAX 3-D in the 1930s, where would you go to see an ultimate spectacle? You'd go to the amusement park to see motorcycles roaring up, down, and around a huge wooden barrel, filling the air with atrocious noise, fumes and a tremendous sense of danger – with spectators standing just yards away from the action!

Walls of Death in Amusement Parks: A Brief History.