Jesse W. Reno invents the first working…
1891 CE
Jesse W. Reno invents the first working escalator in 1891 at the Old Iron Pier, Coney Island, New York City. (patented March 15, 1892)
His invention is referred to as the "inclined elevator."
An earlier escalator machine, termed "revolving stairs" by its inventor Nathan Ames, had ben patented March 9, 1859, but was never built.
Born in 1861 in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Reno is the son of American Civil War notable Jesse L. Reno.
He had graduated from Lehigh University in 1883 with an engineering degree in mining, later a metallurgical degree, where he was a member of the Chi Phi Fraternity.
It will be said that Reno's inspiration for the escalator stemmed from his time as an undergraduate.
Not only does Lehigh's campus feature the highest residence hall east of the Mississippi, but also there are approximately three hundred stairs that must be climbed to ascend one hundred-plus meters from the lowest point on campus to the Chi Phi fraternity house on South Mountain.
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