Elevator History 101

Ever since the beginning, humans have sought out ways for vertical transportation that can help transport passengers and freight. The devices used for the transport of goods up and down represent the first elevators. 

 Elevator history began way before most people are aware of. Some people even say it began several hundred years before Christ. The first known elevators were called hoists. They were mostly powered by humans or animals but on some occasions, there were a few powered by water-driven mechanisms. These hoists were in use as early as the third century BC. 

 Modern elevators started being developed during the 1800s. Though it took a while, these crude elevators evolved from steam driven to hydraulic power! Water pressure was used as a source of power for the first hydraulic elevators. 

 These elevators were used for moving materials in mines and warehouses. Hydraulic elevators were very often used in European factories. 

 Elisha Graves Otis introduced the first safety contrivance for elevators back in 1852.

Otis started a company for manufacturing elevators and ended up being the one to dominate the elevator industry. Today, Otis Elevator Factory is the world’s largest manufacturer for vertical transport systems! 

 With the invention of electricity and hydraulics, an elevator revolution began. Along with that, motor technology and control methods started evolving very rapidly and became the accepted source of power. During this time, the safety and speed of elevators were significantly enhanced. 

 About 30 years later, the first electric elevator was built by a German inventor by the name of Wener Von Siemens. In 1889, the first commercially successful electric elevator was installed. This was possible due to the development of an electric elevator with automatic doors that would close off the elevator shaft, making this invention much safer.

 There were a lot of changes that took place in elevator design and installation was made by the great advances in electronic systems during World War II. 

 Presently, modern commercial buildings tend to have multiple elevators controlled by a unified system. In addition to a unified system, all modern elevators now have special override controls in order the make elevators go directly to a certain floor with no intermediate stops.

Did you know that space elevators use the same concept as a classic elevator? In time, they will be used to transport people to a space station. In theory, this concept can greatly reduce the cost of putting people into space. 

 We can only look forward to the exciting innovations yet to come in regard to elevators! Who knows what the future will bring, or where it will bring us to?