Elevator

Hello there. I am a friendly elevator. My job is to go up, up, up and then whoosh, down, down, down. I live in tall buildings and help people get to their homes and offices. It's so much fun to slide up and down all day. Before I was here, people had to climb lots and lots of stairs. Step, step, step. It made their legs so tired. They would huff and they would puff. But then, I came along to help give their legs a rest. Going up is much easier with me.

I was made by a very brave and smart man named Elisha Otis. He wanted to make sure I was always super, super safe. One day in 1854, he showed everyone just how safe I was. He stood inside me in a big room in New York City. He went way, way up high, so high he could see all the people below. Then, he did something very brave. He told a man to cut my rope. Snip. The people gasped. But I did not fall. My special safety brake caught me. I was safe. Everyone cheered because they knew I would always keep them safe too.

Because I was so safe, people started building bigger and taller buildings. They built them all the way to the clouds. These super tall buildings are called skyscrapers. Now, cities could grow up towards the sky. I am so happy I can help everyone. I carry people, sleepy pets in carriers, and even yummy birthday cakes with candles. Every day, I take my friends on a fun ride, all the way to the very top floors. Going up and down is my favorite thing to do.