Power hour 20 (Understanding Elevators by Linda Ruggieri)

Danisha stepped into the elevator and pushed the button for the twelfth floor. It was her first visit to her dad's office. As the elevator went up, Danisha began wondering: What makes elevators move? How could people work or live in tall buildings without elevators?

Danisha sat at a desk while her father worked. She decided to use the computer to learn more about elevators. She discovered that elevator cars ride up and down in a space called a shaft. Strong cables lift and lower the elevator.

Danisha read about the history of elevators. She found out that even the builders of the ancient pyramids used lifting devices to pick up huge stones. Modern elevators were designed through a process, or a series of steps, Danisha read. Over the years, people worked to make elevators better.

One of those people, Elisha Otis, invented the first safety elevator. His elevator would not fall even if the cables broke. Elisha Otis started his own elevator company in the United States. Danisha had learned a lot about elevators. Now she was hungry. Her dad was taking her out for lunch. As Danisha rode down the elevator, she noticed a sign on the elevator wall. It said Otis Elevator Company!