California News

This Day in History

• Nathan Ames Patents His "Revolving Stairs," Now Known as the Escalator (1859)
  Although no working model of his design was ever built, Ames is credited with patenting the first escalator. His idea for the "revolving stairs" was largely speculative. It was not until the 1890s that the first working escalator—called the "inclined elevator"—was produced, based on another's designs. It was installed among the amusements at New York's […]