1878: Upton Sinclair, American novelist and politician, was born in Baltimore, Maryland.

1853: Library of Congress: Elisah Graves Otis sold his first "hoist machines," or elevators, featuring an automatic safety brake that he had recently patented. His seemingly simple invention - guaranteed to stop a rising platform from falling if the ropes that held it broke - not only launched Otis' business, but made possible the development of passenger elevators and, with them, the modern high-rise building. While before 1850 most buildings were no more than six stories tall, today's skyscrapers range from fifty to more than one hundred stories in height.