Who invented the lift?

Today, lifts are a taken-for-granted part of everyday life, thanks to the brilliant intuition of their inventor. Yet identifying that inventor is not as straightforward as it might seem, as what we now call a lift is the outcome of a long evolution that began in antiquity and developed over centuries of discoveries, inventions, and refinements.

The first rudimentary lifts in antiquity

The history of the lift predates the Industrial Revolution by many centuries. Historical records indicate that rudimentary systems for hoisting people and materials already existed in ancient Rome and Greece. These were typically simple platforms raised manually using ropes, pulleys and winches, operated by slaves or draught animals.

A well-known reference comes from Vitruvius, a Roman architect of the first century BC, who described in his writings a prototype lifting device attributed to Archimedes around 236 BC, a sort of early precursor to the technology that would develop much later.

Elevators in the Middle Ages and Renaissance

During the Middle Ages, hoisting systems continued to be used, particularly in castles and monasteries. They were often basic platforms designed to transport goods and provisions between different levels.

With the Renaissance and the technological advances it ushered in, more sophisticated mechanisms appeared, powered by hand wheels or rudimentary hydraulic systems. Nevertheless, their use remained limited: lifts were not yet considered a means of transporting people.

Who invented the lift in 1853

To understand who invented the modern lift, it is necessary to go back to the 19th century. During this period, thanks to the Industrial Revolution, more reliable machines were developed. Until then, elevators were considered unsafe because of the risk of the car plunging if the ropes snapped.

The invention that changed history forever was the work of Elisha Graves Otis, an American engineer who, in 1853, did not exactly invent the elevator itself but rather its safety brake. This device was capable of automatically stopping the cabin in the event of a cable failure, finally making elevator travel safe for passengers.

To promote his invention, Otis staged a dramatic public demonstration with the famous showman P.T. Barnum. During the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations in New York, known as the Crystal Palace Exhibition, Otis stood on a platform high above the crowd. He then instructed that the supporting rope be cut. As the platform appeared to give way, the spectators gasped but the safety brake engaged and stopped the fall after just a few centimetres, proving the reliability of his system.

The first passenger lift

Following the invention of the safety brake, Otis founded the Otis Elevator Company, which remains one of the leading lift manufacturers in the world today. In 1857, he installed the first passenger elevator in a New York department store. The lift was powered by steam and allowed customers to travel easily between the shop’s floors.

This marked the beginning of the elevator’s widespread adoption in rapidly growing cities and, as one might expect, paved the way for the development of high-rise buildings and skyscrapers, structures in which life on the upper floors would have been uncomfortable, if not impossible, without a lift.

Who invented the electric lift

It takes a leap forward of a few years to discover who invented the electric lift, an innovation naturally tied to the arrival of electricity.

It was the German engineer Werner von Siemens who, in 1880, built the first electric lift, a model that was faster, more efficient, and easier to operate than its steam, or hydraulically-powered predecessors. Without this invention, skyscrapers might never have come to exist, at least not in the form we know them today.

Curious facts about the lift’s invention

In New York, the adoption of lifts was so rapid that the upper floors of buildings went from being the cheapest to the most desirable, completely overturning the logic of the property market.

The fastest lift in the world is in Shanghai, travelling at a speed of 32 km/h and taking just 46 seconds to reach the top floors of its 88-storey tower.

The tallest outdoor lift in the world is also found in China.

When did the lift arrive in Italy?

The first lift for passenger transport in Italy was built by Stigler Mechanical Workshops for the Costanzi Hotel in Rome in 1870. The first electric lift, however, was not introduced until 1904, when it was installed at Palazzo Barberini in Rome.

Why is it called a lift?

The Italian word ascensore comes from the Latin verb ascendere, meaning “to rise” or “to go up”. The term refers to the primary function of the device: allowing people (or goods) to travel vertically. In English, the word “lift” is commonly used, while “elevator” is derived from the idea of “elevating”.

What is the country with the most lifts in the world?

Today, China has the largest number of lifts in operation, accounting for around 43% of the global total. As of 2024, there were roughly 20 million lifts worldwide, and one third of them were located in China.

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Buildings and Skyscrapers

Curiosities

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