By the mid-1800s, steam driven elevators with counterweights had been developed. However, they were not in common use until 1852, when Elisha Otis invented an elevator from falling if the cable broke. How do you think that the invention of a safe elevator changed the modern society?
The elevator allowed higher buildings and therefore much more compact and densely populated city centers. Imagine an office on the 49th floor of your building with no elevator.
