1. The Mythical Seven Seas Lagoon Wave Machine

Believe it or not, when Walt Disney World was first built, not only could you swim in the lakes, but you were encouraged to do it. Back in the days before Wet 'n Wild, Universal Studios, and Legoland, Disney felt like their biggest competition would be the beautiful Florida beaches. They figured guests wouldn't just want to spend time at the Magic Kingdom, but that they'd also want a bit of time catching rays out by the water, or riding a big wave into shore.

Their first plan to counteract this idea was to build a massive lake with beautiful sandy beaches. But, they thought, that wouldn't be enough to keep guests from fleeing to the coasts. They'd need something else.

They'd need waves.

Dick Nunis, avid surfer, Disney legend, and then-Vice President of Operations for Disneyland, thought that real, surfable waves would help give Walt Disney World an even grander scale, attracting even more guests to the resort with the variety of entertainment options. But, due to the design of the machine, it would have to be installed while the Seven Seas Lagoon was empty, and so, as the resort was being completed, the massive wave machine was installed and pointed in the direction of the Polynesian Resort – all at great cost.

And, at least for a short while, it worked. But then, a variety of factors combined to make the thing more trouble than it was worth.

Image: Disney

For one, the waves washing up on the Polynesian Resort's shore caused a more significant amount of beach erosion than was initially projected. Secondly, passing ships found the waves difficult to navigate, making passage to the Magic Kingdom more troublesome. Lastly, some said the machine simply wouldn't work, breaking down every so often, and requiring a massive repair in which the whole of the Seven Seas Lagoon would need to be drained. For those reasons, the thing was left to rust away for over thirty years, only recently being partially dismantled.

But the dream of having surfable waves never died, and 18 years after Walt Disney World first opened, Typhoon Lagoon opened its gates, giving guests one of the most realistic wave pools on Earth.

All of which just goes to show that when Disney has a good idea, they stick with it. Even if they don't get it quite right on the first try, they'll eventually figured it out.

Now all they need to do is give us that Lost-themed experience on Discovery Island. Who wouldn't want to do that?