44. Skyscraper Under Construction
Category – Engineering & Invention
Skyscrapers would be useless if people couldn’t ride to their top floors in comfort and safety. So the elevator had to be invented and made practical before architects dared go above five to eight stories in height. Now a skyscraper in Dubai rises 162 stories to an astonishing height of 2,717 feet, poking its top a half mile into the sky.
Questions –
· People had little confidence in elevators at first. Which American inventor made the public feel it was safe to ride in an elevator?
· A British man created a new way of powering elevators that made it possible for lifts to reach the top of much higher buildings. His invention also reduced operating costs and maintenance. Who was he?
· Modern elevators are powered by electric winches. The man in Germany who pioneered electric elevators founded a company known by his last name. It is still an industrial powerhouse today. Who was he?
Assignment – Find the answers by visiting the About.com website dedicated to inventors –
Click here to research the answer.