We are accustomed to high-rise buildings, high-rise buildings and skyscrapers, and the news about the construction of another 150-story building surprises few people. When talking about such giants, we do not forget to give credit to the architects, but we often lose sight of the fact that all these buildings would have no meaning without the invention of the elevator. It was the elevator that made possible the widespread use of skyscrapers by people, because getting to the 198th floor by stairs is not something you want to spend several hours on every day.
Egyptians, Archimedes and the Lifts
To find out who invented the elevator, we have to go back 4 thousand years ago, to the 2600s BC. The first mention of a lever, the direct ancestor of the modern elevator, dates back to this time. The ancient Egyptians used levers resembling well cranes to lift 100-kilogram stone blocks when building the pyramids.
In 236 BC. the architect Vitruvius described in his work the lifting machine invented by Archimedes. Such lifts have been widely used since the 1st century AD. They were used, for example, to lift gladiators into the arena of the Colosseum, to serve food from the kitchen to the imperial dining room, or to change the scenery on the theater stage. To set these mechanisms in motion, the strong muscles of slaves were used.
Louis XV and Kulibin
Let's move from the ancient centuries to the middle ages. At that time, elevators were used exclusively for lifting and lowering goods, but not for people. This continued until the 18th century. In 1743, the first passenger elevator was constructed in France. It was installed in the Palace of Versailles, looked like a platform and was made according to a secret order of Louis XV. The French emperor needed an elevator for secret visits to his favorite.
A little later, in 1795, a passenger elevator appeared in Russia. The invention belongs to Ivan Kulibin. He designed a screw elevator - a mechanism with lifting and descending chairs. The first such elevator was installed in the Winter Palace.
Catchers, Otis and gearless drive
Let's move on to the last part of the story about who invented the elevator. The elevator in the form in which we know it appeared thanks to the ingenious developments of Elisha Otis. In 1854, Otis showed the world catchers that prevent an elevator from falling when a rope breaks. It was the security device that made the idea of building super-tall buildings real. Just 7 years after the invention of catchers, Otis patented an electric elevator. The first passenger elevator powered by electricity moved at a speed of 2 meters per second. From that moment on, architects freed themselves from the shackles that prevented them from building too high. And electric elevators gradually replaced similar mechanisms with other drives.
The most recent revolution in elevator construction occurred in the 1990s with the invention of the gearless drive. Elevators with such a drive do not require machine rooms, create minimal noise during operation and allow the use of smaller winches.
So, who should we thank for the invention of the elevator?
You need to understand that the elevator is not the brainchild of any one genius. The elevator we use has gone through several stages of evolution from a simple lever to a complex mechanism powered by electricity. But if we talk about specific names and dates, we can note the following:
- Ancient Egyptians, 2600s BC. - invention of the lever
- Archimedes, 2nd century BC. - invention of a platform-type lifting mechanism
- Ivan Kulibin, 18th century - invention of the screw passenger elevator
- Elisha Otis, 1854 and 1861 - invention of catchers and patent for electric elevator
An elevator is a special lifting device that is an integral element of any multi-story structure. Meanwhile, the history of the elevator we all know is very interesting and fascinating.
Predecessors of the elevator in the ancient world
For several thousand years, humanity has been nurturing the idea of creating a reliable lifting mechanism that could function on the principle of modern elevators, the same ones that can be found in every multi-story building today. The very first to translate this idea into reality were the ancient Egyptians. They needed a similar device in the process of building their famous pyramids for the pharaohs.
In appearance, ancient Egyptian elevators were special lifting devices equipped with wheels with gutters, winches with drums, and a rope. During the rotation of the drums, the rope was wound and then unwinded, as a result of which loads could be raised and lowered due to the movement of the rope, passed through a wheel with a groove made in it. According to historical sources, such a mechanism was invented back in 2600 BC. It was very powerful and reliable, capable of lifting large stone blocks weighing up to 90 kilograms to a height of 150 meters.
One of the oldest prototypes of elevators was discovered by archaeologists during excavations of an ancient Roman city called Herculaneum. The death of this city occurred simultaneously with the death of the legendary Pompeii as a result of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. In Ancient Rome, there were the simplest models of lifting mechanisms, which were mainly used to lift gladiators and predators into the arena of the Colosseum. In addition, with the help of simple elevators, prepared delicious dishes were lifted from the kitchen to the dining room. According to reliable sources, such an elevator was created back in 236 BC, and the legendary Archimedes acted as its main developer - there are written references to this in the works of the famous Roman architect Vitruvius.
Elevators of the Middle Ages
With the advent of the Middle Ages, the development of lifting mechanisms continued. The most important feature of elevators invented during this period was that they used the natural power of animals to operate them. At this time, elevators began to fulfill their main task - that is, to move people and goods to the upper floors of buildings. It is known that the elevators used in French cities since 1203 were powered by the movement of donkeys. Due to the fact that lifting devices of the medieval period were quite expensive, not everyone could afford to buy a freight elevator. In this regard, only monarchs, wealthy nobles, as well as some church ministers had the opportunity to equip their buildings with elevators. In the mid-sixteenth century, a similar lifting device appeared in the Monastery of St. Catherine. And starting from the next, seventeenth century, elevators began to be equipped with special systems of blocks and weights, thanks to which movement up and down was carried out. One example of such an elevator is Velair’s invention, which is called the “flying chair.” This elevator was installed near one of the famous French palaces and was used to lift people, as well as all kinds of cargo, to the upper floors. It was precisely because this elevator was located not inside the building, but outside it, that it was never able to gain widespread popularity.
Something much more reminiscent of modern elevator models first appeared in 1743 - that is, during the reign of the famous king named Louis XV. This elevator was installed in the Palace of Versailles itself and was very useful to the monarch. Thanks to this convenient and reliable device, King Louis could easily, simply and quickly move directly to his mistress’s apartment, located one floor above. But, in fairness, it should be noted that this design also had its certain shortcomings and imperfections. It was quite cumbersome and was operated by royal servants.
After some time, a completely different system of lifting mechanisms appeared. So, in 1795, the famous Russian scientist and inventor Ivan Kulibin first presented his creation - screw lifting and descending chairs. Places were immediately found for these inventions in the most significant and majestic buildings in Russia - the Hermitage, the Winter Palace, the Kuskovo estate, as well as in all the beautiful palaces located on the territory of Tsarskoe Selo. Exactly the same lifting mechanism was installed in the legendary Arkhangelskoye estate since 1816. All these devices, undoubtedly, were distinguished by higher technology compared to the elevator of the French King Louis XV, but their control was also not perfect enough. To operate each of these devices required the use of human or animal force. Therefore, such elevators were controlled with the help of servants or livestock. Devices resembling elevators also appeared during the reign of Tsar Peter the Great. In the famous Peterhof Palace, an amazing dining table was installed, which the royal servants moved between the lower and upper floors of the building.
Application of new technologies in the production of lifting mechanisms
The world's first elevator, which operated using a steam engine rather than the use of human or animal power, appeared in America. This event happened in 1800 on the initiative of one of the American entrepreneurs, who was the owner of a coal mine. This invention significantly facilitated the lifting of coal directly from the mine to the surface of the earth, making this process much faster and more convenient. Steam lift technology quickly gained widespread popularity and began to improve and improve. Thirty-five years later, in 1835, an elevator equipped with a steam engine was appreciated by the owners of one of the factories located in England. They began to use this device to move goods. Since that time, improved steam elevators began to be actively used in countries such as the Kingdom of England and the United States of America.
The year 1845 was marked by the invention of the world's first hydraulic elevator. The creator of this device was the well-known William Thomson, who is also known for creating pneumatic tires, as well as a number of other very important and necessary inventions for humanity. It should be noted that the hydraulic elevator turned out to be a much more advanced and technologically advanced device compared to its analogue powered by a steam engine. However, the technology for the production of lifting devices did not stop there...
Elevators became more and more high-tech, sophisticated, reliable and safe. The famous American inventor named Elisha Graves Otis in 1852, for the first time in history, created a special elevator mechanism equipped with safe brakes. Thus, thanks to special brakes - “catchers”, in case of accidental breakage of the cables, the elevator was prevented from falling down. This undoubtedly created a real sensation in the field of elevator construction at that time. At this time, people began to use elevators much more actively and more often, since their level of trust in these devices increased significantly, and the fear of the elevator falling down was reduced to zero.
A few years later, more advanced elevators began to appear, which were equipped with special hydraulic lifts using pressurized fluid. An elevator of this type was once installed even on such a famous landmark of Paris as the Eiffel Tower. Installation of one of the versions and installation of elevators was carried out by Roux, Combaluzier and Lepape
In 1861, the world's first electric elevator was born. By the way, this invention was also patented by the famous American Elisha Graves Otis. Elevators created by Otis, due to their high quality and reliability, have enjoyed very wide popularity for many years.
A little later, in 1880, the world first saw a lifting mechanism that was as similar as possible to the elevators that are widely used today. The design of this elevator was developed by one successful and talented engineer from Germany. All his ideas and plans were brought to life by the famous company called Siemens and Halske. Compared to all its predecessors, this elevator undoubtedly looked the most advanced and high-tech. One of its main features was that it was able to easily rise to a height of twenty-two meters in just eleven seconds. Since 1889, such elevators began to be successfully installed in many New York skyscrapers.
Elevator construction: our days
So, gradually steam and hydraulic elevators began to go out of use. Instead, by the beginning of the twentieth century, reliable and high-tech lifts equipped exclusively with electric drives had firmly established themselves.
Towards the end of the era of the 90s, another revolution occurred in the field of elevator production. So, in 1996, the famous company KONE from Finland first presented its new invention - a modern elevator that did not require a machine room at all and was equipped with a special gearless drive. In addition to the KONE company, the famous American company Otis also began producing similar elevators.
The world's very first elevator, which did not require either a machine room or a counterweight, was produced by employees of the same Finnish company KONE. This invention was presented in 2007. At the same time, a high-tech modern elevator also appeared in Russia, which had excellent energy saving indicators and, like its counterparts from Otis and KONE, was not equipped with a machine room. This elevator was developed by the famous Russian company City Lift.
The main manufacturers of high-quality elevators these days are the American company Otis, the Finnish KONE, and the Swiss Schindler.
To build a skyscraper, inventing a steel frame was not enough. Another invention was needed, perhaps even more important. After all, you can’t force the inhabitants of a skyscraper, or even just a more or less tall building, to walk up the stairs. The device that solved the problem of people living on high floors was the elevator. 
Contrary to popular belief, the elevator was not invented by Elisha Otis. Long before him, lifts were used in mining and construction, but they did not take root in houses. The reason is simple - a person who could afford a lift wanted for his money to get at least some guarantees of the safety of his stay in a basket hanging on a steel cable. But there was no simple, cheap and reliable device that would provide such security. It was this desired device that Otis invented. And he not only invented it, but also personally presented it to the public as a competent entrepreneur. Although, perhaps it was not a matter of literacy: two Otis employees died during the tests, no one wanted to give money for new developments, and the choice was between risk and bankruptcy. In 1853 In front of a large crowd of people at the New York Crystal Palace, the inventor climbed onto a heavy platform loaded with bags, which was raised to a height of ten meters, and, to the horror of those present, cut the rope that held the platform. Thanks to Otis's newly patented device, the platform did not fall, and since then the elevator has gradually begun to turn from a miracle of technology into an everyday household appliance. 
The first elevators were, as expected in those days, steam. They were not widely used, since not every house was ready to have a constantly running steam engine, and the mechanisms of the lifting device itself were very cumbersome. But the elevator has become the hallmark of buildings with a large flow of visitors: offices, shops, hotels. With its advent, these are the buildings that are growing the fastest; 5-7 and even 10-story “proto-skyscrapers” appear almost immediately.
An Otis elevator machine at an exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876. 
(left) Steam elevator in an office building in Chicago, 1893.
(right) advertisement for an elevator manufacturer, late 19th century The next stage in development was the hydraulic elevator. It did not require constant operation of the steam engine and was much less fire hazardous, but it also had its drawbacks. The first is the need to manufacture a shaft for the piston. If the elevator goes up and down 5 floors, then the shaft should be lower than the first floor by the same 5 floors. This problem was dealt with quite quickly - the pistons began to be made horizontal or composite. The second problem remains unsolvable to this day - hydraulics do not allow making the elevator at least somewhat fast.
Approximate design of a hydraulic elevator;
advertisement for a manufacturer of electric elevators, early 20th century The elevator first became as we know it - electric, for the first time in 1904. The general principles of its work have not changed since then. Its second purpose is to show how modern and functional the building you are in is, relevant to this day. This was most clearly manifested precisely in those buildings that could not have been built without the invention of the elevator - skyscrapers.
The answer to this question can be extremely varied and really depends on what kind of elevator you are interested in. Over the course of many centuries, elevators have changed and improved, and not only technically, but also their design, which was first developed by the Romans in the Roman Empire. It is believed that Archimedes was the first inventor of the elevator. But his elevator could only move with the help of physical force (human, animal or water), which had to turn the wheel inside the elevator. Below are interesting facts from the history of elevators, as well as interesting facts about the lives of people directly related to these events.
Steam Engine Elevators
Steam-powered elevators appeared already in the 19th century. Around the same time in America, Elisha Otis created a unique additional device for the elevator, which prevented it from frequent breakdowns and falling down. This discovery played an important role in the further use of elevators in mines, as it significantly reduced the possibility of workers collapsing in such a dangerous place as a mine.
Sir William Armstrong
Sir William Armstrong invented the hydraulic elevator crane. This additional device turned out to be very important in the history of elevators, since later, with the help of it, the first hydraulic lifts were able to appear. Hydraulic elevators were safer, more efficient in operation, and also moved faster than steam-powered elevators.
Electric Elevators
The elevators that we see today in skyscrapers, hotels, and shopping centers are equipped with electricity. Electric elevators appeared thanks to the unique German inventor Werner von Siemens, who first created an electric elevator in 1880. Werner managed to connect electricity to a regular elevator, thanks to which guests were able to get to the desired floor in a matter of seconds. Siemens took the idea of the Romans and added electricity, which was a new discovery at the time. An electric elevator works by using electricity to drive the motor and take the elevator to its desired destination. The motor and electricity also affect the speed of the elevator, starting and stopping, and makes sure that the elevator runs smoothly. In addition, thanks to electricity and a height control lever located inside the car, passengers no longer need to stop at each floor.
It is curious that the appearance of modern cities is largely shaped not only by the imagination of architects, but also by a technical device, the full value of which we realize only when it breaks down. If the elevator had never been invented, it is unlikely that houses higher than four or five floors would be built.
Obviously, we will never know who and when first realized that a heavy load can not only be dragged or rolled to a height, but also lifted with the help of simple devices. And we can guess what these ancient prototypes of the lifting mechanism, which later received the name “elevator” (from the English to lift, “to lift”), were like by turning to the customs of some Papuan tribes, which are still not affected by the civilization of machines. According to ethnographers, they bury the dead on the tops of trees, using wicker platforms raised with the help of counterweights.
The ancestor of the elevator, like other lifting mechanisms, is the lever, known to people since ancient times. A lever similar to a well crane, as well as systems of cables and counterweights, were used in Ancient Egypt during the construction of the pyramids. The first mention of such devices dates back to approximately 2600 BC. e. With their help, stone blocks weighing up to 100 kg were lifted.
The treatise “Ten Books on Architecture” by the famous Roman architect Vitruvius mentions a lifting machine built by the Greek scientist Archimedes in 236 BC. e. And already in the 1st century. n. e. The simplest lifts have become widespread. During excavations of the city of Herculaneum, which was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, the remains of a unit were discovered that lifted cooked dishes from the kitchen to the dining room on the second floor. In Rome, lifting platforms carried gladiators and animals to the arena of the Colosseum. Under Emperor Nero, who was fond of theatrical productions, such platforms lifted actors and scenery onto the stage. The description of a lift with a cabin suspended on a hemp cable dates back to around the same time. All such mechanisms were driven by the muscular power of animals or slaves.
By the 6th century refers to the appearance of a lift in the Sinai monastery in Egypt. It was a wicker cage on several cables, driven by a wheel that was turned by donkeys. In China and India, similar devices were used to lift water from a river, sometimes using people pedaling as the driving force. In Europe, the first elevators appeared much later, mainly in palaces and large monasteries, as well as in mines and quarries for lifting extracted minerals to the surface. The device that has survived to this day in the French abbey of Mont Saint-Michel was built in the 12th century. It consists of a wooden sled on which loads were lifted along a stone ramp using a winch.
While the elevator is moving
A short story about the concept of a new product, project or service is called an Elevator Pitch. It is believed that it should be short enough that it can be fully told during the elevator ride, i.e. it should take a maximum of 2 minutes. Of course, this applies exclusively to modern elevators: the very first, very slow ones, on the contrary, were conducive to verbosity.
15th century elevator Illustration from the book “Military Fortifications” by Konrad Kaiser.
Lift-ramp at the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel.
Almost all medieval elevators, with the exception of mine elevators, which lowered and raised miners, were freight elevators. The first passenger platform elevator in European history was constructed in 1743 at the Palace of Versailles. The device was intended for King Louis XV so that he could secretly visit his favorite, whose apartment was located on the floor above. However, since the elevator moved with the help of a servant, there was still no secret.
In Russia, the first passenger elevator appeared in 1795. The outstanding inventor Ivan Kulibin designed a “self-lifting chair” in the Winter Palace, which slowly ran between the first floor and the royal apartments. Special nuts, moving along two vertically mounted lead screws, raised and lowered the platform with the seat. The mechanism was operated by one person.
Five years later, a steam engine was used for the first time to drive an elevator. This happened in one of the American coal mines, the owner of which calculated that such a design would speed up the rise of coal to the surface, and therefore increase production efficiency. Over the next decades, steam elevators appeared in industrial enterprises, first in England, then in other countries.
A significant disadvantage of such an elevator was that its operation required constant operation of a steam engine, and it also produced a lot of noise. These circumstances did not allow the use of steam elevators in residential buildings. The problem was partly solved in 1845, when the American William Thomson developed a hydraulically driven elevator. Here, too, it would not have been possible without a steam engine, which maintained the pressure of the liquid, but it could be placed at a distance, and water could be supplied to the elevator through a pipeline. After the English engineer William Armstrong invented a hydraulic accumulator to increase and ensure constant water pressure, passenger hydraulic elevators began to be installed in hotels and public buildings, and then in respectable residential buildings.
Newfangled phaeton. 18th century engraving
Descent into a salt mine in Wieliczka, Poland. 1869
At first, the elevator was far from the most reliable device; sometimes the cables broke and the cabin fell, which is why many people preferred to walk up the stairs. What made it absolutely safe was the invention of the American engineer Elisha Graves Otis, who is sometimes mistakenly called the inventor of the elevator. In 1852, he proposed not to attach the cable directly to the cabin, but to use an elastic steel spring plate and set gear rails along the walls of the shaft. The weight of even an empty platform caused the spring to bend, and it passed freely between the rails. When the cable broke, the spring straightened out, its ends stuck in the teeth of the rails and prevented the fall.
Otis called his invention a safety elevator and, together with his sons, opened a small company producing elevators (now the Otis Elevator Company is the world leader in the production of elevator equipment). In 1857, the first passenger elevator, the Otis Elevator, was installed in a five-story department store on Broadway.
He took up to five people “on board” and transported them at a speed of 20 cm per second. Two years later, the company designed a screw elevator operating on the same principle as Kulibin’s “self-lifting chair.” This system turned out to be too expensive and inconvenient, and the rise was very slow, so the project was abandoned.
Drawing of the first elevator by E. Otis. 1861
Elevators on the first class deck of the Olympic passenger liner. 1911
Meanwhile, competitors were not asleep. In the second half of the 19th century. The era of skyscrapers began in the USA, and at first contractors preferred hydraulic elevators without cables to Otis elevators; a piston running in a long cylinder pushed the cabin up under the pressure of water. Such elevators moved much faster than steam elevators. But when high-rise buildings jumped beyond the 20-story mark, such a system had to be abandoned; a hole too deep to accommodate the hydraulic cylinder had to be dug under the foundation.
Some time later, a hydraulic elevator was designed with a cylinder placed horizontally: the piston pulled a rope through a system of pulleys, raising the cabin. At the 1867 World Exhibition in Paris, a new hydraulic elevator developed by engineer Leon Eddu was demonstrated using a plunger instead of a piston. Detractors tried to prove the unsuitability of such elevators for high-rise buildings, but at the 1878 exhibition Eddu presented a plunger elevator with a lifting height of 128.5 m. Later, an elevator with a similar device was installed on the Eiffel Tower.
It is unknown how long the confrontation between steam and hydraulic elevators would have continued if in 1880 the company of the German engineer Werner von Siemens had not built the world's first electric elevator with a rack and pinion mechanism in the city of Mannheim. It rose to a height of 20 m in 10 s. However, it took almost a decade for the new product to capture the market. In 1889, the Otis Elevator Company was one of the first to begin mass production of electric elevators.
Further improvements concerned mainly control systems and automation of elevator maintenance. Once upon a time, its operation required a whole staff of personnel: an engineer operating the steam engine, an elevator operator in the cabin, floor attendants who closed and opened the shaft doors.
W. von Siemens.
At the beginning of the 20th century. They already made do with an elevator operator in the cabin and one electrician for several elevators in the building. And in 1924, Otis Elevator Company specialists created a system for calling elevators by pressing a button on the floor, which, together with automatic doors invented by engineer Houghton in 1926, made it possible to fully automate elevators and simplify their maintenance.
It seemed that everything possible in this area had already been invented and it was impossible to invent something fundamentally new, but at the end of the century a real breakthrough occurred. In 1996, the Finnish company KONE began producing MonoSpace elevators with EcoDisc gearless drive, which do not require a machine room, and a few years later, MaxiSpace elevators without a counterweight.
Otis Elevator and Schincller companies replaced metal cables with polyurethane belts in the design of their elevators, which significantly reduced noise levels. The movement speed and maximum lifting capacity of elevators are increasing year by year. Perhaps after some time this device will have a completely new function: from the beginning of the 21st century. Work is underway to create a space elevator to deliver cargo to the orbital station. It's hard to believe that it all started with an ordinary basket, which was pulled up using a rope thrown over a beam.
Up together
The world's largest elevators were developed by Mitsubishi Electric, which installed five elevator cars in the 41-story Umeda Hankyu Building office skyscraper in Osaka. Each elevator can easily accommodate 80 people, which is almost like three school classes with their own class teachers. The total weight that the elevator can lift is 5250 kg! Elevators are also suitable for those who are afraid of being cramped and stuffy: their ceilings are very high, and the walls are glass and allow you to admire the views of the city as you ascend.
In addition to the number buttons, there are emergency call and door hold buttons on each instrument panel in the elevator.