How often do you take elevator selfies?
After all, that’s what the mirrors inside them are for, right?
Or could it be for safety and monitoring reasons?
Or maybe they are hiding some secret parts of the elevator you aren’t supposed to see?
The Rise and Fall of the Elevator Empire – it’s What’s Up Today.
Oh, and watch your step getting in.
1.
The great grandfather of today’s elevator was designed by legendary ancient Greek mathematician
Archimedes himself!
Back around 235 BCE, he built a wooden platform that went up on ropes in an open shaft.
It was used for lifting water or building materials and powered by men or animals.
2.
The Roman Colosseum used to have elevators and not just one but 24 of them!
They transported cages with wild animals inside.
It took at least eight people to operate the elevator properly.
All 24 doors had to be opened simultaneously to let 100 lions in the arena at the same
time.
And then I guess they had lunch or something…
3.
The first public passenger elevator was installed in 1857 in a department store in New York
City.
It was manufactured by the Otis Brothers and was steam-powered.
Even though it was super slow compared to today's machines, it seemed like a real miracle
to the public back then.
Otis managed to calm people's fears as many were afraid it would free fall when going
down.
Woo hoo!
Just kidding!
4.
Back in the 19th and early 20th centuries, elevators were called movable rooms as they
were designed way fancier than many apartments today.
They had chandeliers, expensive furniture, and carpeting.
Passengers would sit down and enjoy the ride.
Maybe that somehow has to do with those mirrors inside the cabins?
Just, fancy decoration?
I think we need more facts to be sure.
5.
If you dream of living in a penthouse but can’t afford it just yet, here’s one comforting
thought.
The upper floors have become so prestigious and luxurious only recently in history, and
it happened thanks to elevators.
Before that, only servants and low-rent tenants lived there as they had to climb too many
stairs.
With elevators, the rich made it to the top floors, loved the views, and stayed there.
6.
These days, over 325 million passengers go up and down in an elevator every day across
the world.
The average person travels in that moving cabin 4 times per day.
Hmm, do you?
7.
Out of all those 325 million, not everyone is equally brave and excited about taking
the elevator.
Okay, maybe it’s not that bad now, but back in the 1920’s when modern-type elevators
were becoming more and more popular, a lot of people were anxious about going for a ride.
Hotels, stores, and office buildings came up with a solution – they started playing
calming music inside.
Today, this music still plays in many places as a tribute to the past.
Now that rings the bell – maybe the mirrors are there for the same purpose?
They do have a calming effect on me…except when I’m having a bad hair day.
Eek!
I feel like the truth is out there, closer and closer.
8.
To calm down those who believe in spilled salt, black cats, but mostly the unlucky number
13, a lot of buildings don’t have a 13th floor.
So it’s no wonder around 85% of elevators installed by the Otis Elevators Company in
the US don’t have a button with that number.
I guess mirrors wouldn’t please the superstitious…
So what’s with them anyway?
9.
A lot of elevators around the world are decorated with mirrors.
It turns out they aren’t there for safety reasons, but to keep you busy as you move
between the floors.
When your mind is occupied with something, for example wondering if that’s a grey hair
you see, or is your left eye slightly bigger than the right one, the journey seems way
shorter.
These days, businesses also take advantage of everyone’s love for selfies and sometimes
add fun drawings or quotes on the mirrors.
When you share those photos online, you’re offering free advertisement.
The less selfish reason mirrors are used is to calm down people with claustrophobia.
A room with mirrors always appears more spacious than it actually is.
10.
Are you one of those people who always push the “close” button to make the elevator
doors shut faster?
Let me know in the comments below!
If that’s the case, I have some news for you – this button is nothing but a placebo.
It only makes you think you can control the ride and make things go faster.
11.
Another elevator placebo is repeatedly pushing the call button.
Word to the wise: it doesn’t matter if you pushed it once or a thousand times, the elevator
will still arrive at the same speed.
So one call is enough.
12.
Though more people are afraid of getting in an elevator than getting in a car, the elevator
is a much safer means of transportation and statistically the safest way to travel!
In fact, they are 20 times safer than their closest relatives escalators.
The only time when you shouldn’t use an elevator is a fire or an earthquake, or when
your friend is coming back from lunch with a bad case of gas.
13.
From time to time, elevators do get stuck.
This can happen for many reasons, from power outages to equipment failure.
Remember one thing: it’s no reason to panic!
The idea is simple: an elevator stops to prevent you from getting into trouble.
When something is wrong in the shaft or the machine, and there’s even the slightest
danger, stopping is the best solution.
Chances of that happening are approximately 1 in 5,000.
14.
If you do get stuck in an elevator, don’t try to escape by yourself.
Use the emergency button to contact the operator and wait for someone to come and rescue you.
It’s a good idea to be polite with people on the other end of the line – it’s unlikely
their fault you got stuck, so yelling at them won’t make them work any faster.
(You don’t want to drop to the bottom of their to-do list!)
It should take less than an hour anyway.
If you are fearful that you’ll run out of air while waiting for help – don’t worry,
the cabin is not airtight.
If you just can’t stand the idea of being trapped even for a few minutes, avoid overstuffed
elevators and don’t keep your carry-ons close to the doors.
15.
Here’s easily the most comforting fact on the list for anyone who still has any doubts
about the safety of elevators: even if some of the cables fail for some reason, one will
be enough to hold the construction!
Any elevator car has between 6 and 8 steel cables strong enough to hold it.
There are also super-efficient brakes under the car that will slow the cabin down in case
of emergency (that’s highly unlikely to happen) so there won’t be any sudden abrupt
falls.
For even more safety, there are brakes above the car and weights on the opposite sides
of the cables.
If the elevator isn’t fully loaded and something goes wrong, the counterweights will make it
go up and not down.
16.
Some elevators are more interesting than others.
Or rather, give you a better view.
Like the Bailong Elevator, for example – what you can see from this outdoor elevator is
definitely worth a trip to China.
Or the iconic Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas where the elevators travel at a 39-degree angle.
At the Gateway Arch in St. Louis it’s even more unusual as it moves along the arch!
One of the oldest elevators in the world, Lacerda in Salvador, is a legit means of city
public transport and moves around 30,000 people per day.
And now, here comes a fun bonus, a riddle for all elevator fans out there!
Imagine this: you work as an elevator operator in a 36-story building.
9 people get in on the 1st floor.
When you stop on the 12th floor, 7 people get on and 1 person gets off.
On the 16th floor, 11 people get off and 5 new passengers get on.
On the 20th floor, the operator pushes the wrong button and the elevator gets stuck.
Now, the questions is: What color shirt is the elevator operator
wearing?
I’ll give you 10 seconds to think it over.
Time's up.
The correct answer is: well, I guess you have to look in one of those elevator mirrors to
find it out because it’s whatever color shirt you’re wearing.
I asked you to imagine you're that elevator operator, right?
Hey, put that brink down, I’m just messing with you!
Ah, the ups and downs of this job!
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