United States
Originally, elevators weren’t used for the purpose of human transportation. The earliest elevators that were designed and put into use were for large amounts of cargo or animals, but never passengers. This all changed at the World’s Fair over 160 years ago when it was proved safe to carry people even if the rope was cut through an emergency brake. Due to this brilliant and invaluable safeguard put into place, the passenger elevator became a key player in the industrial revolution.
An elevator that was able to carry not only cargo but was also trusted to carry people changed the world’s ideas of transportation. This is how the skyline of cities morphed into gloriously diverse and complex heights. The skyscraper took the world by storm and offices on the top floors of taller buildings became the envy of all. None of this would have been possible without the invention of the passenger elevator and the safety it provided.
Passenger elevators didn’t stop with just the technical inner-workings like the emergency brake being put to use on traction and hydraulic designs. They began to have intricate designs for the cabs, too. As the elevator grew from being a tourist attraction to a normal part of life, innovators thought of methods to ensure that the inside of a cab felt safe as well. This was done by carefully choosing the colors for the doors, walls, and adding little details along the inside of the cab. Soon enough, the cabs felt like regular rooms to the passengers who stepped inside and less like unknown territory. For those that remained dubious about utilizing this novel form of transportation, a famous form of music was invented.
Everyone knows the term ‘elevator music’ and that it describes music that plays lightly in the background. But how it came about has a lot to do with the sudden widespread popularity of the passenger elevator. The music that is heard in shopping centers, grocery stores, airports, and more, actually originated from the specific form of music created for the elevator. Since music has often been proven to have a calming effect, it was utilized to help soothe the nerves of anxious passengers who were riding elevators for the first time. The faint loop of calm music played by famous musicians eased passengers worries and soon became its own genre of music. The smooth melodies and light noise for elevators are still being produced to this day. These are just some of the many ways that passenger elevators shaped the world and how two industries, music and technology, merged to create a peaceful and safe environment for passengers to enjoy the ride up to their destination.
