Need A Lift?

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.