Which sentence from the passage does not support the author’s claim?

The Russian Ice Slide appeared in 1650 in Russia and was the precursor to the modern roller coaster. It was made of lumber and ice, reaching almost 80 feet high and stretching out hundreds of feet. People rode on blocks of wood or ice and landed in a pile of sand. A French businessman tried to bring the concept to France, but the milder weather melted the ice. A new idea to place wheels on the sleds and use wax instead of ice gave way to the next step in roller-coaster history. In 1817, a more modern concept was invented, using tracks with grooves into which the wheels fit (Sandy). Eventually, the idea made its way to America, where an old railroad track was converted into a more modernized version of the roller coaster. Tom Harris, contributing writer for How Stuff Works, writes, "By the 1920s, roller coasters were in full swing, with some 2,000 rides in operation around the country." It took a while, but eventually roller coasters became a main feature of amusement parks everywhere, thanks to a tall structure of ice and people brave enough to slide down it.