Which is more Dangerous, Elevators or Escalators?

Summary

Podcast Summary: Who Smarted?

Episode: Which is more Dangerous, Elevators or Escalators?

Date: July 27, 2026

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Overview

This episode of Who Smarted? embarks on a hilariously educational elevator ride through history, engineering, and safety science, answering the question: Which is more dangerous, elevators or escalators? With the usual zany cast, smart and silly banter, pop quizzes, and surprising facts, host “Smarty Pants” and a gaggle of historical inventors explore how elevators have evolved—and just how safe they really are.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Everyday Elevator: Start with a Slice of Pizza and a Squeeze ([02:00 - 04:00])

• Narrator describes the common experience of riding an elevator—cramped, full of strangers and sometimes, oddly, lions and axe-wielding inventors.
• Elevators are essential to modern life, making tall buildings and skyscrapers possible.
• Fun fact: Each day, people take over 3.125 million elevator rides, carrying the equivalent of the world’s population in just three days.

2. The Battle of the Otises ([04:00 - 10:00])

• Elisha Otis and Otis Tufts (elevator pioneers) humorously bicker about which of them is the real elevator inventor.
• Definitions clarified:
  • Patent: A document that claims ownership of an invention.
  • "Lift" is what elevators are called in some parts of the world.
• A discussion of the different features the inventors contributed:
  • Otis Tufts called his invention a “vertical railway.”
  • Otis’s name is now synonymous with elevators (“Otis” on the door).

Notable Quote:
“My name’s right on it.” — Elisha Otis ([04:38])

3. The Ancient Elevator Origins ([10:00 - 13:30])

• The hosts reveal that elevators weren’t invented in the 1800s—they go back over 2,000 years to ancient Greece!
• Archimedes, an ancient Greek inventor, reportedly created the first elevator using ropes and a drum.
• Ancient elevators appeared in the Roman Colosseum to lift gladiators—and lions—into the arena.
• These original devices were powered by people, not electricity or steam.

Notable Quote:
“Eureka! It's just like my invention.” — Archimedes ([11:06])

4. Gathering Steam: The Rise (and Fall) of the Modern Elevator ([13:13 - 15:00])

• In the 1800s, elevators began using steam power.
• Tufts’s elevator used a unique threaded pole design, but it was costly and impractical.
• Elisha Otis’s elevators were cable-based, a practical design still in use today.

5. The Invention that Changed the World: Safety and Skyscrapers ([15:12 - 18:18])

• Elevators revolutionized city architecture—making the penthouse (the top floor) the most desirable apartment.
• Before elevators, only maintenance staff lived at the top because no one wanted to climb lots of stairs.

Notable Quote:
“The top floor… is often called the penthouse and is the most expensive apartment in the building.” — Narrator ([17:01])

The Real Game-Changer: The Safety Brake ([17:56 - 18:29])

• Otis introduced the emergency brake, which stops the elevator even if cables break.
• This innovation made elevators safe and trustworthy, ushering in the age of skyscrapers.

Notable Quote:
“But when I introduced my elevator, I cut the cables to show how safe it was. My brakes stopped the elevator from falling.” — Elisha Otis ([18:18])

6. Modern Elevator Factoids ([18:29 - 19:23])

• Modern elevators are now one of the safest forms of transportation thanks to safety innovations.
• Fun trivia: The “close door” button on most elevators in the US doesn’t actually work—federal law requires doors to stay open longer to help people enter/exit, especially those with disabilities.

Notable Quote:
“Did you know the closed door button doesn't work on most elevators?” — Narrator ([18:42])

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Memorable Moments & Humor

• Running gag: the elevator crammed with historical figures, a lion, and endless interruptions for pizza and quizzes.
• Otis’s axe-wielding demonstrations—a nod to his famous real-life safety brake exhibit.
• Silly questions like why a lion is in the elevator, and quippy asides about pizza, gladiators, and what a skyscraper is.
• Breaking the fourth wall with, “It's a podcast. Just go with it.” ([12:42])

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Elisha Otis: “My name’s right on it.” ([04:38])
• Archimedes: “Eureka! It's just like my invention.” ([11:06])
• Narrator: “The top floor… is often called the penthouse and is the most expensive apartment in the building.” ([17:01])
• Elisha Otis: “But when I introduced my elevator, I cut the cables to show how safe it was. My brakes stopped the elevator from falling.” ([18:18])
• Narrator: “Did you know the closed door button doesn't work on most elevators?” ([18:42])
• Narrator: “It's a podcast. Just go with it.” ([12:42])

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Elevator Ride Begins & Stats: [02:00 - 04:00]
• Battle of the Otises: [04:00 - 10:00]
• Ancient Elevator Origins (Archimedes): [10:00 - 13:30]
• Powering Early Elevators: [13:13 - 15:00]
• Elevators & Skyscrapers; Social Impact: [15:12 - 17:27]
• Elevator Safety Brakes Explained: [17:56 - 18:29]
• Modern Elevator Safety Facts & Trivia: [18:29 - 19:23]

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Conclusion

• Elevators aren’t just modern marvels—they’re ancient, ingenious, and essential to how we live in cities today.
• Thanks to inventors like Elisha Otis (and, to a lesser extent, Otis Tufts and Archimedes), elevators are now safer than ever.
• The episode never directly compares elevator and escalator safety statistics, but emphasizes that elevators, thanks to modern tech, are extremely safe today.
• As always, the show wraps with affirming shout-outs and a reminder that learning can be as fun as a pizza party on the 42nd floor!

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For curious minds of all ages, this episode delivers the perfect blend of history, humor, and science—leaving listeners smarter and smiling.

Transcript

[Elisha Otis]

Be honest.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

When's the last time the whole family was in the same room at the same time? Not everyone's scattered to their own screens in their own corners, but together, having fun. Because that's what you really are underneath your busy weeks. A pack. Last month, I brought my whole pack to Great Wolf Lodge. Cousins, aunts, the works. And I went down every water slide until we all forgot to be cool. That indoor water park is is always 84 degrees. Wave pool, lazy river slides you ride together. But Great Wolf isn't a place you visit. It becomes your pack's home base for adventure. Magi Quest is sending you on a live action quest through the whole lodge. The northern lights, arcade, dining options, nightly dance parties, all under one roof, and parents. Here's the best part. There's no big planning, and you get to be the one who said yes. And with 22 lodges across the country, there's a good chance there's one just a short drive away. Book [e-mail] that's greatwolf.com and strengthen the pack. Hey, smarty pants. Trusty here. And I want to tell you about something that's going to make bedtime way more fun. Koala Moon. You know how much we love learning cool stuff together. Well, Koala Moon is packed with original bedtime stories and sleep meditations that deliver amazing life lessons, just in a way that helps you drift off to Dreamland. With over 700 stories featuring awesome characters like Coco the Koala and the Jupiter Twins, there's always something new to discover. Koala Moon has already helped improve over 50 million bedtimes, and I think it can help yours too. So ask a grown up to search Koala Moon on your favorite podcast app so you can try it tonight. And now it's time for who's Smarted? Wait. Hold the door. Phew. Just made it. Thanks for holding the door for me, smarty pants. Although I am a little surprised to see everyone crammed in together on this elevator. Got room for one more? Good. There. No problem. Oh, wait. Small problem. I can't reach the buttons. 42, please. Going up. Ah, up we go. You see, I just received an email saying there'd be free pizza on the 42nd floor of this building. The world famous famous Smarty Tower. I could take the stairs, and that would be good exercise, but I'd probably be so winded from climbing 42 flights of stairs that I wouldn't be able to breathe, let alone eat pizza. Besides, elevators like this one exist precisely for moments like this. In fact, we wouldn't even have tall buildings like skyscrapers if it weren't for elevators. Third floor. These days, as you probably noticed, elevators are everywhere from big cities to small towns. Every day, people take over 3,125 million elevator rides. And over the course of three days, elevators carry nearly 8 billion passengers. That's like carrying every single person in the world in just three days. Seventh floor, smarty pants. Next time you're on an elevator, take a look around. Elevators are unique in that they bring different types of people close together. You could be standing next to a doctor, a construction worker, an attorney, a podcast voice actor, or 12th floor, a man with a big bushy beard carrying an axe.

[Elisha Otis]

Got room for me?

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

Uh, we're kind of full. Sorry. Door close. Door closed. Door close. Door close.

[Elisha Otis]

Excuse me. Uh.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

Oh, he's getting on.

[Elisha Otis]

Ah, there's plenty of room. Thanks. Wow, isn't this something? My, oh, my, what a beautiful elevator this is. And just look at those shiny doors. Ooh, and there's my name.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

Your name is by the doors?

[Elisha Otis]

Mm. See? It says Otis. That's me, Elisha Otis.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

Oh, but what's with the axe?

[Elisha Otis]

Oh, this? It's for my demonstration. I'm showing off my invention.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

Okay, and what invention is that?

[Elisha Otis]

Why this thing.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

Oh, wait a minute. Are you the Otis behind the Otis Elevator Company, the largest elevator maker in the world?

[Elisha Otis]

Like I said, my name's right on it.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

19th floor.

[Otis Tufts]

You mean my name. Otis Tufts, the true inventor of the elevator. If you don't mind, I'm squeezing on.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

I don't think there's enough room. I guess I was wrong. So Your name is Otis2 and you invented the elevator?

[Otis Tufts]

That's right. Of course, I called it a vertical railway when I filed my patent. Which was before Mr. Otis over here.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

Okay, first of all, smarty pants, do you know what a patent is? A patent is a document filed with the government claiming ownership of an invention. And secondly, nobody says vertical railway anymore, which isn't to say an elevator isn't called other things, smartypants. What do some people call an elevator? Is it A, a lift, B, a riser, or C, a hoist? The answer is A, a lift.

[Otis Tufts]

And I invented it.

[Elisha Otis]

Otis.

[Otis Tufts]

You must be joking, my dear Otis. I most certainly am not.

[Elisha Otis]

Why, I ought to.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

Whoa. Careful with that axe, Otis. So, smarty pants, which Otis really invented the elevator? How do elevators. How safe are they? And 21st floor. What's a lion doing on an elevator in the Smarty Tower at this hour? It's time for another whiff of history and science on who Smarted? Who's smarted?

[Elisha Otis]

Who's smart?

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

Is it you?

[Elisha Otis]

Is it me? Is it science or history?

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

Listen up, everyone. We make smarting lots of fun.

[Elisha Otis]

Who's smarted?

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

We'll be back with more smarting after this quick ad break. Hey, Smartypants. Trusty here and I want to tell you about something that's going to make bedtime way more fun. Koala Moon. You know how much we love learning cool stuff together. Well, Koala Moon is packed with original bedtime stories and sleep meditations that deliver amazing life lessons just in a way that helps you drift off to Dreamland with over 700 stories featuring awesome characters like Coco the Koala and the Jupiter Twins, there's always something new to discover. Koalamoon has already helped improve over 50 million bedtimes, and I think it can help yours, too. So ask a grown up to search Koala Moon on your favorite podcast, Apple, so you can try it tonight. Hey, who smarted? Families Trusty here. You know me, always here with the facts, the stories, the wild science. And today I have an extra special book series to introduce you to. Meet the Investigators. Mango and Brash are two alligator secret agents who travel through the city sewers to fight crime and solve the most wonderfully weird mysteries. If you love the puns and silly humor we throw at you on every episode of who Smarted, you're going to feel right at home. It's basically who Smarted Energy in graphic novel form. Over 4 million copies have been sold worldwide. 4 million. Now there's nine books in the series, a special edition, and a spin off. So if you plow through books, this is basically a gift. And the newest case just dropped. Investigators, whether or not by John Patrick Greene. Where the city's water supply has been replaced with milk. The rain is turning green and monkey scientists are causing chaos. So grab your copy of Investigators, whether or not at your local bookstore, library, or online today. Decaf.

[Advertiser / Game Promoter]

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[Elisha Otis]

All right.

[Advertiser / Game Promoter]

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[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

24th floor.

[Elisha Otis]

Phew.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

We're safe. The lions exited the elevator.

[Otis Tufts]

I must say, that was A little too close for comfort.

[Elisha Otis]

You're telling me.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

Smarty pants. It appears this elevator is stopping on every floor of history. Instead of taking me directly to the cafeteria, where free pizza awaits me.

[Elisha Otis]

Pizza? What is that?

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

A glorious, glorious invention that's ahead of your time.

[Otis Tufts]

Ah, but not as glorious as my invention here.

[Elisha Otis]

It's not your invention, it's my invention.

[Otis Tufts]

I claimed it first in 1859. You didn't file your patent until 1861.

[Elisha Otis]

But my invention's better. And that's my name by the door.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, smarty pants. Let's get to the bottom of this. When do you think the elevator was invented? Was it 1859 or 1861? Well, it turns out no matter which one you said, you're wrong.

[Otis Tufts]

Wrong? What?

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

So, smarty pants, how old is the elevator? 100 years old? 500 years? Over 2,000 years. The answer is 28th floor gyre.

[Elisha Otis]

Uh, hello. I am Archimedes, mathematician, engineer, and inventor of the phrase eureka.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

Smarty pants, was Archimedes an A medieval Brit, B, an ancient Greek, or C, a colonial American? The answer, of course, is B. He was an ancient Greek.

[Elisha Otis]

May I enter? Sure.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

What floor are you going to?

[Elisha Otis]

This goes to different floors?

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

It sure does.

[Elisha Otis]

Eureka. It's just like my invention.

[Otis Tufts]

Your invention?

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

That' smarty pants. If you said the elevator was invented over 2000 years ago, you're right. Archimedes reportedly created it with a simple rising floor connected to ropes and a drum.

[Elisha Otis]

Pish posh. My invention is way more sophisticated than that.

[Otis Tufts]

You mean my invention.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

30th floor. Excuse me.

[Elisha Otis]

Have any of you seen a lion?

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

Oh, why, yes. Come on in. Going up.

[Elisha Otis]

Say, you look pretty tough, fella.

[Otis Tufts]

Yeah, and what's with that helmet, shield and sword?

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

Why, I'm a gladiator on my way to fight the lion. Does this thing take me to the arena floor? Smartypants. In what famous ancient site were there many battles between people called gladiators and wild beasts such as lions? Is it A, the Acropolis, B, the Colosseum, or C, the Pantheon? If you said B, the Colosseum in Rome, you're right. And if you listen to our who Smarted? Episode on the Colosseum, you know, these beasts were transported from a waiting area underground to the main floor by. That's right, an elevator. Coliseum, arena floor. Wish me luck.

[Elisha Otis]

Wait, how did we get from the 30th floor to the arena of the Coliseum?

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

It's a podcast. Just go with it.

[Elisha Otis]

Right. So elevators have been around since ancient times.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

Eh, yes, but not like the elevators of today. For one thing, ancient elevators were not powered by electricity. Smarty pants. Do you know what powered them? Is it A, steam, B, animals, or C, people? If you said C people, you're right. For example, the elevators in the Colosseum were people powered by hundreds of men.

[Otis Tufts]

In that case, you could say my elevator was the first modern elevator.

[Elisha Otis]

You mean my elevator?

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

Well, you both created elevators powered by steam, which was the norm until the electric elevator motor was introduced in the 1880s.

[Elisha Otis]

Okay, that's it. I'll prove that this Otis elevator is my invention. Ha.

[Otis Tufts]

And how will you do that?

[Elisha Otis]

I'll climb on top of it and use my axe to cut the cables attached to it.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

What? No, no, no, no, no, no, no. There will be no cable cutting. Mr. Otis, please stay inside the elevator.

[Elisha Otis]

But I must cut the cables.

[Otis Tufts]

Oh, silly man. This elevator has no cables.

[Elisha Otis]

Is that true?

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

What do you think? True or false? Elevators go up and down with the help of cables attached to them. The answer is true. A system of cables and pulleys move elevator cars from floor to floor. A heavy counterweight attached to the system goes in the opposite direction, creating balance, allowing the car to travel more smoothly.

[Otis Tufts]

Really? Well, my elevator has no cables. Instead, it travels on a threaded pole like a nut on a bolt.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

Right, but here's the thing. That design was too expensive and difficult to make for larger buildings, so it didn't catch on like Mr. Otis's elevator here.

[Elisha Otis]

Aha. I told you. That's my name by the door.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

Yes, but Otis Tuft's invention did introduce one thing. The elevator. As a people mover. His enclosed elevator car contained benches for sitting, while the elevator, designed by Elisha Otis, just had an open platform, much like the older elevators that moved supplies or lions. But Elisha's elevator became more popular because it had something else that convinced people to ride it. Something that completely changed the world we live in.

[Otis Tufts]

Oh, what's that?

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

I'll tell you right after this quick break. I finally meet the height requirement of the roller coaster. Milk can help you grow. Here we go.

[Elisha Otis]

Next stop, outer space.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

Wait, what?

[Elisha Otis]

Milk can't control where the ride goes.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

Hey, smarty pants. Trusty here, and I want to tell you about something that's going to make bedtime way more fun. Koala Moon. You know how much we love learning cool stuff together. Well, Koala Moon is packed with original bedtime stories and sleep meditations that deliver amazing life lessons, just in a way that helps you drift off to Dreamland with over 700 stories featuring awesome characters like Coco the Koala and the Jupiter Twins. There's always something new to discover. Koalamoon has already helped improve over 50 million bedtimes, and I think it can help yours too. So ask a grown up to search Koala Moon on your favorite podcast, Apple, so you can try it tonight. And now back to who's smarted, Smarty pants. How did the elevator change the world? Well, think about a skyscraper. What's the most popular floor? The bottom, the middle, or the top? Often it's the top floor.

[Otis Tufts]

That's ridiculous. Nobody likes the top floor.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

Not in your day. That's because people had to take the stairs up. Back then, the top floor apartment usually belonged to the maintenance person who cleaned and cared for the building. But today, the top floor of a skyscraper, with its incredible views, is often called the penthouse and is the most expensive apartment in the building.

[Elisha Otis]

A skyscraper? What is that?

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

Oh, yeah. As you may have heard on our skyscrapers episode, very tall buildings known as skyscrapers wouldn't exist without. What did you say? Elevators. That's right. Before elevators, buildings were fairly short. But now, thanks to elevators, they can have 160 floors. Like the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.

[Elisha Otis]

You're welcome, Otis.

[Otis Tufts]

Your elevators are made with cables or ropes. But Archimedes, didn't your elevators have ropes too?

[Elisha Otis]

Yeah.

[Otis Tufts]

So what makes your elevator so special, Otis?

[Elisha Otis]

I'll show you with my axe.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

No, no, no, no, no, no, no. No axe. Besides, this is a podcast. You can't show anything.

[Elisha Otis]

Pod. What? You lost me.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

Never mind, Smarty pants. Can you guess how Elisha Otis changed the elevator? Is it A, he made it faster, B, he added emergency brakes, or C, he added elevator music? If you guessed B, you're right. Before Otis invention, elevators were very dangerous. Cables would snap and people riding them would get hurt or even killed.

[Elisha Otis]

But when I introduced my elevator, I cut the cables to show how safe it was. My brakes stopped the elevator from falling.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

And today, with stronger cables and even better brakes, elevators are one of the safest modes of transportation. 42nd floor. Ah, here we are. Door close. Door close. Door close. Why won't it close? Great, smarty pants. Did you know the closed door button doesn't work on most elevators? Any guesses? Why is it A, it's broken, B, it's for a different set of doors, or C, it's to help people? The answer is C. A U.S. law passed in 1990 requires elevator doors to stay open for a certain amount of time to help people. Anyone who can't get on or off quickly, so the closed door button won't work. But people still try. Especially when there's a lion. Oh, don't worry. I fed the beast 138 slices of free pizza.

[Elisha Otis]

He's stuffed.

[Narrator / Smarty Pants]

That's great news. But wait. Now there's no more pizza going down. A double dose of shout out to smarty fans Ellie and Gray in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. Thanks so much for smarting with us, you two. I love that you love all the funny questions and fun facts in each episode. And I can't forget to mention how much you love singing along with our theme song. Was it you? Was it me? Thanks, smarty pants. This episode Elevators was written by Dave Stop Pressing the Button Bodry and voiced by Chris Okawa, Mike Prevetti, Max Kamasky, Kim Going Down Davis, Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Colbert. Technical direction and sound design by Josh hold the door, Han who's Smarted is recorded and mixed at the Relic Room Studios. Our associate producer is Max Kamasky. The theme song is by Brian oh no, we're stuck, Suarez. With lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex Davis, who's Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Colbert. This has been an Atomic Entertainment production. Hey, smarty pants. Trusty here and I want to tell you about something that's going to make bedtime way more fun. Koala Moon. You know how much we love learning cool stuff together. Well, Koala Moon is packed with original bedtime stories and sleep meditations that deliver amazing life lessons just in a way that helps you drift off to Dreamland. With over 700 stories featuring awesome characters like Koko the Koala and the Jupiter Twins, there's always something new to discover. Koalamoon has already helped improve over 50 million bedtimes, and I think it can help yours too. So ask a grown up to search Koala Moon on your favorite podcast app so you can try it tonight.