Otis Elevator Safety Brake

Elisha Otis, USA, patent 31,128 of 1861. The ratchet that made tall buildings safe.

Overview

Otis demonstrated his safety brake dramatically at the 1853 Crystal Palace, cutting the hoist rope above a crowd. The patent's toothed rails caught the platform instantly. Safe elevators enabled the skyscraper: Chicago's Home Insurance Building of 1885 stacked floors around them. Otis Elevator still bears his name and dominates the industry his patent created. Cities grew vertical within a generation. The dramatic demo also invented tech marketing theater.