Thanks to Elisha Graves Otis (not pictured left, that's another Otis), born on this date in 1811, we don't need to climb to the seventh floor with our groceries. We can get into the elevator, push a button and be carried. Otis didn't invent the elevator; he invented something possibly even more important - the elevator brake.Hoists were in use already, but they were considered very dangerous, since they ran the risk of falling. Otis outfitted them with a steel wagon spring that meshed with a ratchet. This spring helped to pave the way for the building of skyscrapers.
The Elevator Museum is an educational tool designed to provide students, researchers and industry members with a broad picture of how lifting has evolved through the ages.
8 comment(s):
Hi, longtime reader, first time commenter here.
My 2nd grade son recently did a biography report on Mr. Otis and we found that he was born in 1811, not 1911. The picture you have doesn't look like the ones we found either...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisha_Otis
Love your site!
Stephanie (Elijah's mom)
Oops, the picture is of Otis, the town drunk on the Andy Griffith show, a US TV from the 1960s.
Well, thank goodness THAT Otis didn't invent anything!
Actually I like his picture better than the old guy!
Otis gets my vote for prez. I mean, how bad could things get?
Party on, dude.
I'm voting Colbert/Stewart for prez/vp, but this Otis gets my vote for sheriff!
Smilcher, you are absolutely right, the date is 1811. Typo is corrected.
I don't remember how I got the picture. I had this subject ready for publishing some time ago and somehow the picture and the story got mixed up. That's what happens when you get older. :)
No problem, Gerard! I was actually quite proud of myself for catching that one! However, if it weren't for my son having done a report on the man, I wouldn't have known the difference.
Blog on,
Stephanie
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