The world’s first commercial safety passenger elevator went into service.

On March 23, 1857, the world’s first commercial safety elevator was installed in the E.V. Haughwout & Co. Building in New York City.

The safety system, devised by Elisha Graves Otis, introduced a reliable brake that prevented the cab from falling if the cable broke.

It was powered by a steam engine in the building’s basement and operated at a speed of about 40 feet per minute (0.67 feet per second).
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