The Resume

(August 3, 1811-April 8, 1861)
Born in Halifax, Vermont
Invented the safety elevator
Founded the Otis Elevator Company
Inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame (1988)

Why he might be annoying:

He unsuccessfully ran a gristmill and sawmill.
He then started manufacturing safety brakes for railroads, but went out of business when the stream he used to power the machinery was diverted by the city of Albany for its water supply.
He built his first safety elevator to haul debris from the basement of a sawmill and initially thought so little of it that he did not patent it or even bother to ask his bosses for a bonus.

Why he might not be annoying:

After deciding that manufacturing elevators might be a viable business after all, he came up with a heck of a publicity stunt: at the 1853 New York World's Fair, he rode his elevator over the heads of the crowd and ordered the cable cut. The platform stayed in place as the safety brake engaged and Otis called out, 'All safe, gentlemen.'
The safety elevator made modern skyscrapers feasible.
Otis elevators carry the equivalent of the world's population every nine days.

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 36]
• Inventors
• Look at Me, I'm Wearing a Top Hat
• Look at Me, My Picture Is Art
• My Name, My Company
• Profiles 31251-31500 (Ranked: 31330)

Year In Review:

In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 27.27% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 20 Votes: 45.00% Annoying
In 2012, Out of 11 Votes: 36.36% Annoying
In 2011, Out of 15 Votes: 20.0% Annoying