The Six Flags chain originated in 1957 with the creation of The Great Southwest Corporation by Angus G. Wynne and other investors. Construction of Six Flags Over Texas started in 1960, and the park was opened the next year for a short (45-day) season. The first park initially featured a Native American village, a gondola ride, a railroad, some Wild West shows, a stagecoach ride, and Skull Island, a pirate-themed adventure attraction.
John Quincy Adams (1825-1829) had one of the more unusual and, arguably, dangerous pets: an alligator that had been gifted to him by the Marquis de Lafayette.
Family: The alligator was captured last August by five members of the Stokes family. They are (from left to right) Kevin Jenkins, his children Savannah Jenkins and Parker Jenkins, and couple John and Mandy Stokes. Big beast: The alligator is on display at the Montgomery Zoo's Mann Wildlife Learning Museum. Massive: The mammoth beast measured 15 feet and 9 inches long and weighed 1,011.5 pounds. Achievement: Mandy Stokes (second from right) has said the alligator was 24 - 28 years old, based on an analysis of its leg bone.