Otis: The Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was an innovative period of time between the mid-18th and 19th centuries that forever changed the lifestyle of people into a more urban lifestyle. The elevator, or, safety elevator as it was called at the time was invented by an American industrialist and entrepreneur. His name was Elisha Graves Otis. With this invention, Otis basically laid the foundation for all elevator stores and companies to come, and forever changed the look of urban areas and skyscrapers for the society of his time and modern time. The elevator was one of the most important and impactful inventions of the 19th century.
The elevator was a very unique and influential invention, and because of that it was important to the people of the 19th century. The main reason how and why it was used was to lift and vertically transport goods, people, and heavy objects. When working, Otis found it
Otis’ original elevator ran on a steam engine connected to gears and ropes, but later elevators was also run by hydraulic plungers. It consisted of a platform, cables, and shaft that served as the foundation of the elevator, and ran all the way up to the top floor of his building. When powered, the elevator would move upward or downward. The most significant part of the invention was the elevator brake. The brake was basically a steel wagon spring that was attached to the bottom of the platform and top of the shaft and cables. Normally, if one of the supporting cables snapped, the lifting device would fall straight to the ground and most likely cause damage. However, thanks to this new invention and brake, the spring would release pressure and snap open, and fall into beams placed in the shaft, stopping all movement. This new invention worked perfectly, and after demonstrating his new design in 1854, almost every business and building in urban area was ordering and installing Otis’