This is the fourth book in Tundra's award-winning Great Idea Series of biographies for young readers.
It's the story of Elisha Otis, the man who invented and installed his first successful passenger elevator in a five-story department store in New York City. Author Monica Kulling brings this inventor to life, from his humble beginnings as a boy on a farm in Vermontto to a man who made use of his entrepreneurial skills and settled in New York. An open picture-book format with remarkable illustrations and use of dialogue make this book an engaging and informative work for younger readers.
In 1818, seven-year-old Elisha was fascinated by farm machinery. As a young man, he tried a variety of ways to make a living, but nothing fired his imagination more than the job he found in a bed-frame factory. Soon he invented a machine that made frames four times faster than ever before. In 1852, while overseeing the construction of a new factory, he had to find a way to move heavy machinery to the second floor. He didn't trust the hoisting platform, so he invented a safety brake. It was so successful that rather than lift machine parts, Elisha decided to build "people-hoisting machines." In 1857, Elisha Otis installed his first successful passenger elevator in a five-storey department store in New York City. Before Elisha's invention, buildings were never higher than six stories. At last it was possible to build skyscrapers!
Paperback | 32 pages | 1 lb.
