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17/12/2021

On Independence Day, 2004, the cornerstone of the then-named Freedom Tower in New York—a 20-ton slab of black granite inscribed with the words "tribute to the enduring spirit of freedom" and dubbed the "Freedom Stone"—was laid at a special ceremony. But it was removed two years later when construction began, when construction plans shifted and it was deemed to be in the way—and stored in Hauppauge, Long Island. It never did become part of the tower, in what the Daily News calls "20 tons of beautifully polished national disgrace

17/12/2021

For those looking for sky-high luxury, the new Gevora Hotel in Dubai opened earlier this year, officially becoming the world's tallest hotel building. Topping out at 1,168 feet tall, it beat out previous record-holder JW Marriott Marquis by a mere meter and boasts fancy restaurants, a health club, sauna, and plenty of other attractions with an Art Deco interior. And if you're looking for some hotel suggestions, look no further than these 17 Floating Hotels That Are Simply Magical.

17/12/2021

Considering its tragic legacy, the tallest building in the city got a number of innovative safety features that have helped allay any concerns, from a reinforced concrete base to blast-resistant windows and pressurized stairwells, to even biological and chemical filters in the ventilation system. Speaking of safety: Don't miss the 15 Ways to Be a Safer Female Solo Traveler.

17/12/2021

A giant steel pendulum that serves as a "tuned mass damper" to help offset the 11th-tallest building in the world's movements when hit by strong winds has got its own mascot and comic book. Damper Baby adorns a wide range of souvenirs and trinkets in the Taipei 101 gift shop, helping to promote the building's impressive engineering—and appealing to kids.

17/12/2021

A 1968 time capsule placed in the Hancock Tower the year it was completed was recently opened. The capsule in the now-16th tallest building in the world held microfilm, a lapel pin from U.S. Senator Charles Percy, a rock from the original Illinois state capital, and a piece of another famously tall structure, the Eiffel Tower.

09/12/2021

Calling themselves the Universal Divine Saviors or Liberty City Seven, this group of seven people based in Miami, conspired to destroy the Sears Tower (back before it was renamed the Willis Tower), seeking out contacts in al-Qaeda in order to acquire expertise—though they had no weapons or means to actually carry out their plan and were foiled before it progressed beyond early planning.

09/12/2021

In an era when travel by dirigibles was viewed as the transportation of the future, the people behind the Empire State Building's construction initially designed its 200-foot tower to serve as a docking station for airships arriving from across the Atlantic, complete with gangplank, check-in and customs office, and more. When it became clear that the intense wind that high up made such plans difficult, the plan was scrapped. And to delve deeper into the past, check out The 40 Most Enduring Myths in American History.

09/12/2021

In February 2014, a pair of Russian climbers ascended Shanghai Tower (before it had been completed) wearing forehead-mounted cameras, but no apparent safety gear to capture the not-for-the-faint-of-heart climb. And this stunt is nothing compared to the 30 Craziest Things People Have Done For Selfies.

09/12/2021

The clock's proprietors hoped the world would be so impressed with the structure that it would opt to abandon Greenwich Mean Time, which has been the "center" of the glove for more than a century, and adopt local Mecca time (to which the Makkah Clock is set) instead. Egyptian cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi explained this made sense since the clock is "in perfect alignment with the magnetic north. "However," as the folks at Gizmodo explain, "after a bit of cursory Googling revealed that magnetic North actually sits on a longitude that passes through the United States, the clock was set to Arabia Standard Time."

09/12/2021

Since the building is so tall, you can watch the sunset from the base of the Burj Khalifa, shoot up to the roof on the elevator, and watch the sunset all over again. The two sunsets occur about three minutes apart, thanks to the height, and considering that the elevator takes under a minute-and-a-half to get to the top, there's plenty of time for a fast mover to catch both shows. And for more wonders from around the world, learn the 20 Hotels So Outrageous You Won't Believe They're Real.

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09/12/2021