2026-10-16
100 Products That Changed the World · #23: The Safety Elevator
At the 1854 New York Crystal Palace exposition, 42-year-old mechanic Elisha Graves Otis stood high on an open hoisting platform and ordered an assistant with an axe to sever the only rope holding him up. The platform dropped a few inches and locked solid into iron ratchets. Raising his top hat, he declared: 'All safe, gentlemen, all safe!' Before that moment, human buildings were capped at five stories and top floors were cheap garrets for the poor; after it, cities grew vertically into the clouds, giving birth to the penthouse and the modern skyscraper. Ranked #23 among the 100 products that changed the world, with an overall score of 91.70 (displayed as 92) — durability 97, originality 95, impact 95, scale 92, experience 85, business 85.
