Episodes

12 episodes in this season

Balls

10 min

Bicycles and Pucks

10 min

Crayons and Markers

10 min

Balloons

10 min

Chewing Gum

10 min

Now Playing

Elevators

10 min

Peanuts

10 min

Radio and Television

10 min

Clocks and Watches

10 min

E10

Ice Cream and Popsicles

10 min

E11

The Postal Station

10 min

E12

Lightbulbs

10 min

Here's How

TV Series

10m

Now playing

Elevators

Season 1 · Episode 6

We begin our history of elevators by looking at ancient civilizations, learning that some early civilizations used animals or slaves to lift heavy objects and that the Egyptians had hoists to build the pyramids. We find out that originally, people didn't usually ride on elevators because the kept breaking and werevery dangerous, so until safety brakes were invented, buildings generally didn't get higher than five stories tall. Then, Elisha Otis invented the safety brake, a device that kicked in and stopped the elevator if the rope snapped. These days, elevators have allowed us to build huge skyscrapers and they've also made it easier for miners to work underground. When skyscrapers are built, one of the first things that they have to keep in mind is the elevator. They begin by creating the core, into which they have to carefully place openings where the doors for the elevators will be. Once the core is built, they can build the actual structure around it. We learn that before elevators

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Here's How

TV Series

10m

Now playing

Elevators

Season 1 · Episode 6

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