Electric elevator
Ascensor eléctrico
- Date
- 1880–1889 · confidence high
- Place
- Mannheim, Germany
- Credited to
- Werner von Siemens (Mannheim, 1880); Otis Elevator (first commercial electric lift, New York, 1889); Frank Sprague (control and safety, 1892)
- People
- 👤 Frank Julian Sprague1857–1934👤 Werner von Siemens1816–1892
- Field
- Tools
What it is
Lift driven by an electric motor instead of steam or hydraulics, faster, more compact and of unlimited height. It made the upper floors of skyscrapers habitable.
What it led to
- Skyscrapers of more than 20 storeys
- High-rise housing and urban density
- Automatic lift without an operator (1950)