Lifts have
existed since around 300 BC so, not surprisingly, they’ve got a very vibrant
history. From the original lift pulled by slaves to the modern luxury version
we know today, lifts have changed a lot.
Ever
wondered why lifts play music or why they have mirrors? We’ll answer these
questions, so next time you ride in a lift, you can share these interesting
facts with your friends.
Here are 11
things you didn’t know about lifts:
Why lifts have mirrors
There are
several reasons for this but ultimately it tracks back to the early days of
lift evolution. When passengers first started riding in lifts, people were
complaining that they moved too slowly. While a solution to this problem was to
make lifts faster, this was expensive, so lift companies started to consider
why people thought they were moving too slowly.
They discovered
that people thought lifts were a lot slower than they were and tried to tackle
this with mirrors. Rather than people having to stare at a blank wall while
they were riding up, they had to look at their reflection instead. This meant
that users were preoccupied with how their hair looks, or if they have
something stuck in their teeth, and the ride went much faster. It also meant
that users were now not focusing as much on their fear of falling.
Another reason behind the use of mirrors is that they
are known for creating the optical illusion of more space, so what better place
to put mirrors than a tiny box. This put people more at ease because they
didn’t feel as claustrophobic when the room felt larger than it was.
Furthermore,
mirrors add safety features such as being able to see all the people in the
lift, so you can feel safer knowing what everyone else around you is doing. It
also aids wheelchair users in getting in and out when they have to reverse out
of a small lift.
Why lifts play music
In the 1920s
when lifts became more prevalent, people were still very nervous about getting
into them. Understandable when you have no idea how safe they are and you have
to put all your trust in a metal box to carry you 10 storeys high. As a result,
lift companies started playing music to calm fearful passengers. Elevator
music, known as Muzak, came to use in 1922 and helped to cover up the
mechanical noise the lifts made. This music is commonly played in airports,
shopping centres and on telephone systems due to its calm and relaxing energy.
Muzak is the
biggest provider of elevator music and supplies over 350,000 clients and is
listened to by 100 million people every day!
Lifts are twenty times safer than escalators
To this day
many people are scared of using lifts, some may even refuse to use them! But
statistically, lifts are very safe and are actually twenty times safer than
escalators. So the common trope of elevator accidents in television and film is
wildly inaccurate. They are also much safer than riding in a car, as an average
of 26 people die in elevators every year, but there are 26 car deaths every
five hours.
Plus, the
only known occurrence of a lift falling because of a snapped cable was in 1945
when a B25 bomber crashed into the Empire State building. There was one lady in
the elevator car on the 75th floor but, amazingly, she survived because of the
1000m of fallen cable that had coiled on the floor!
Elevator cables are incredibly strong
The fact
that elevators are very strong is probably something you already knew. However,
they are much stronger than you think. An elevator is held up by multiple
cables, between four and eight, and each cable is designed to be able to hold
up the weight of the elevator and its passengers on its own. On the off chance
that one cable snaps, the elevator won’t fall. And even if all the other cables
snapped beside one, the elevator should still be held up by the remaining
cable.
Hopefully,
this gives you some peace of mind if you’re nervous about using lifts!
The close door button does not make the door
close faster
We are all
guilty of being in a rush and getting in an elevator only to get frustrated by
the door not closing, so we jam the button repeatedly until the door eventually
closes. While you may think you’re helping it close faster, you actually
aren’t.
This is
because all lifts must be accessible for disabled people, so they require the
door to stay open for at least three seconds to allow someone with low mobility
to be able to get safely into the lift. Most modern elevators have a button to
close the door, but many have been deactivated completely and are only there to
serve a psychological function, so people can believe they’re doing something
to make the door close.
Lifts carry the equivalent of the world's
population every three days
There are
about 325 million lift rides everyday, and each lift carries multiple people on
each ride so that adds up to the entire population of the planet every three
days!
There would be no penthouse suites without the
lift
Before lifts
were invented, living on the highest floor of a building was not something to
brag about, it meant you had to climb lots of flights of stairs and was mostly
considered a hindrance. The highest floors of a building used to be reserved
for the servants or low paying tenants, until the creation of the lift. This
radically changed the experience of living in a high storey building and
created a more enjoyable choice for the rich, thus introducing the penthouse.
Cities as we
know them wouldn’t exist without lifts. Lifts allowed tall skyscrapers to be
built because there was finally an accessible way to reach the top floor.
Without them, cities would have expanded width ways and would be very different
from the metropolis we are used to.
A private lift in The Langham will set you back
£24,000
Speaking of
expensive penthouses, the Sterling Suite at London’s Langham Hotel will cost
you a hefty price of £24,000 a night. It comes with private lift access, butler
service and six bedrooms. So if you’re looking to flash the cash and enjoy a
lift all to yourself, it comes at a price!
The first lift was invented in 236 BC
While very
different to what we now know as an elevator, the first primitive lift was
invented by Archimedes in Ancient Rome and was operated by hoisting ropes wound
around a drum. The Colosseum had a complex of rooms and tunnels below. Lifts
were powered by hundreds of men to bring up gladiators and large animals
through elevator shafts into the arena.
Electric
lifts came into use in the 19th century and the first one was invented in 1880 by
the German inventor Werner von Siemens.
The world’s fastest lift
The record
for the fastest lift in the world is set by the Lotte World Tower in Seoul,
South Korea. The tower is 555m high and the lift itself is 496m tall and is
capable of reaching the 121st floor in 1 minute, travelling at a speed of 10
metres per second!
Other
notable mentions for speedy lifts are the Taipei 101 in Taiwan and The Shanghai
Tower in Shanghai.
Early lifts were called ‘moveable rooms’
In the early
1900s people were not accustomed to riding in lifts and were not too keen on
the idea. Many people believed that travelling vertically in such a way would
make you sick. Doctor’s used to worry about ‘elevator sickness’ due to the
sudden movement of lifts.
The first
lifts were used in hotels and department stores and were very slow. They were
originally called ‘moveable rooms’ and were decked out with chandeliers and
plush seating.
ADL Lift Services Ltd provide reliable lifts
across the UK
Are you
looking for high-quality lift services? ADL
provides comprehensive lift services with a combined
experience of over 80 years and a friendly and knowledgeable team, we can offer
lift servicing and maintenance with 24/7 emergency cover. To discover our wide
range of lifts and to find out more, visit our website
or call 01698 277 009.
