An escalator is a conveyor-type transport vehicle that moves people. It is a movable ladder with steps that moves up or down using rails and a conveyor belt that keeps each step horizontal for the passenger.
It All Started With Fun
However, the escalator began its history as a form of entertainment rather than a practical mode of transportation. The first patent for an escalator-like machine was granted to a Massachusetts man in 1859 for a steam-powered unit. On March 15, 1892, Jesse Reno patented his movable stairs or inclined elevator. In 1895, Reno created a new innovation journey in Coney Island from his patented design. It was a movable ladder that raised passengers on a conveyor belt at a 25-degree angle.
The escalator as we know it was later redesigned in 1897 by Charles Seeberger. He created the name “escalator” from the Latin word “scala” for steps and the earlier coined word “elevator”.
Charles Seeberger partnered with the Otis Elevator Company to build the first commercial escalator at the Otis factory in Yonkers in 1899. A year later, the Seeberger-Otis wooden escalator won first prize at the Paris Fair Universelle in France. Meanwhile, the driving success of Reno’s Coney Island briefly made Jesse Reno the top escalator designer, and he began founding the Reno Electric Ladders and Carriers company in 1902.
Escalators Today
With today’s developing technology, escalators are used around the world to move pedestrian traffic where elevators are impractical. They are used in department stores, shopping malls, airports, transit systems, convention centers, hotels, arenas, stadiums, train stations (subway) and public buildings.
Escalators can move large numbers of people and can be placed in the same physical space as the staircase. You usually don’t have to wait for an escalator and they can direct people to main exits or special exhibits.
