Escalator History: The Stairway to… Convenience
Ever in a hurry but missed the elevator? Ever looked at a flight of stairs and dreaded the climb? Imagine a moving stairway…oh wait that exists, it’s called the escalator. You’ve probably seen and used an escalator at a mall, airport or train station. Some step onto them and ride the whole way, while others walk while riding to make the trip even faster, but how did the escalator come to be?
One of the earliest uses of escalators was used in the construction of the Egyptian Great Pyramid at Giza. Stone cubes were laid on tree trunks and rolled upwards on artificial earth bridges surrounding the build site. The rolling wheels under the carried weight became the fundamental principle for today’s escalators.
The first escalator-like machine was brought up in 1859 by Nathan Ames called the Revolving Stairs but Ames passed away the following year and the invention wasn’t able to be put into practical use; it was never even built. The design formed an equilateral triangle that required passengers to jump on at the base and jump off at the top.
The escalator we know today was later re-designed by Charles Seeberger in 1897. He also created the name ‘Escalator’ from the word ‘Scala’, which is Latin for steps and the word ‘Elevator’ which had already been invented prior. In 1892, Jesse Reno patented his moving stairs or ‘Endless Conveyor or Elevator’ and in 1895 he created a novelty ride at Coney Island from his design — a moving stairway elevating passengers on a conveyor belt at a 25-degree angle. In 1898, a Frenchman invented a “step-less” escalator used in London’s Harrods store with a continuous leather belt made from many pieces linked together that traveled only in the upward direction.
In 1899, Seeberger partnered with the Otis Elevator Company to build the first commercial escalator. Meanwhile in 1902, the success of Reno’s Coney Island ride made him into the top escalator designer. He went on to start the Reno Electric Stairways and Conveyors company. In 1910, Seeberger sold his rights for the escalator to the Otis Elevator Company and Reno’s escalator was also bought by Otis in 1911. Otis Elevator Company went on and monopolized escalator production by combining and improving the various designs of escalators. Over the years came safer rebuilding of escalators such as the comb-style cleated levelled steps surfaced.
Today, there are escalators everywhere, they are a norm. Their convenience and efficiency have made them a very popular innovation.
