Going Up!: Elisha Otis's Trip to the Top

By Monica Kulling

Book Overview

In 1818, seven-year-old Elisha was fascinated by farm machinery. As a young man, he tried a variety of ways to make a living, but nothing fired his imagination more than the job he found in a bed-frame factory. Soon he invented a machine that made frames four times faster than ever before. In 1852, while overseeing the construction of a new factory, he had to find a way to move heavy machinery to the second floor. He didn't trust the hoisting platform, so he invented a safety brake. It was so successful that rather than lift machine parts, Elisha decided to build "people-hoisting machines." In 1857, Elisha Otis installed his first successful passenger elevator in a five-storey department store in New York City. Before Elisha's invention, buildings were never higher than six stories. At last it was possible to build skyscrapers!

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1770495169
• ISBN13: 9781770495166
• Release Date: April 2014
• Publisher: Tundra Books (NY)
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.53 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 8.0" x 10.0"
• Age Range: 5 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Kindergarten to Grade 3