When Elisha Otis developed the safety brake that enabled the development of modern elevators, he was bitterly denounced by religious conservatives as having created "an affront to God". God, the conservatives held, was "the only agency whereby a man might mount the Heavens without offense". Every building that had Otis elevators was picketed. This lasted for three weeks, until one of the protesters tried the elevator and realized that by taking the elevator he still had the breath to praise God when he got to the top of the building. This realization completely overturned the anti-elevator movement and for the next two years all elevators were full of the religious, singing hymns.