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n– 1853
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nElishanOtis was a tinkerer. He had two sons that liked to tinker withnmachines, too. Otis achieved fame for one particular invention, outnof his many: the safety elevator.
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nAtnage 40, Otis needed to get debris up several floors, but the hoistingnplatforms that others had invented often broke and were thereforendangerous. In order to avoid the risk, Otis and his sons tinkerednaround with machinery until they had created a safety elevator.
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nOtisngot two orders for his safety elevator, and on this day in 1853, henopened his elevator factory.
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nHowever,nno more orders came for the next several months.
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nOtisnsoon seized an opportunity to demonstrate his safety elevator at then1854 World’s Fair, which was held in New York. He thought up a stuntnthat guaranteed him publicity: he stood on a rasied platform and hadna guy with an axe cut the rope that was holding up the platform.nBecause of Otis’s safety brake, the platform only fell a few inches.
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nThenorders for safety elevators started to come in after thanndemonstration! As a matter of fact, the Otis elevator companynreceived continuous orders that doubled in number each year.nEventually the company supplied elevators to the Eiffel Tower, thenEmpire State Building (shown here, right), the World Trade Center,nDisney’s “Tower of Terror” ride, and many other famous buildings.nWithout Otis’s invention, skyscrapers couldn’t exist.
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nFindnout more…
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n…atnAmerica’s Story.
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