Elisha Otis (a descendant of Revolutionary hero James Otis) was a master mechanic. He invented a safety lift for a warehouse, but the company went out of business. He was headed for California in 1852 to seek gold when a furniture maker commissioned two of his elevators. He used a steam engine to raise and lower the elevator. He started his own company. He made a big splash at an exposition when he theatrically cut the rope holding his elevator with an axe and the elevator only plunged three inches, thus proving to the shocked crowd that the contraption was safe. On March 23, 1857, he installed his first elevator in New York City. Unfortunately, he was not a good businessman and when he died at age 49, he left his two sons in debt. They proved to be superior businessmen and the company prospered. By 1873, they had installed over 2,000 elevators. The invention was crucial to the boom in skyscrapers. It made higher floors in hotels more popular. In 1900, the Otis company bought the escalator. Over the years, the medical profession backed off on claims that the sudden acceleration and deceleration was unhealthy. Originally, cities established speed limits of 40 feet per minute. This was raised to 1,200 in the 1930s. Today, the standard is 2,000 feet per minute. Amazing 25-26
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