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History of the world's tallest structures
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History of the world's tallest structures
This is the history of the world's tallest structures.
Below is a list of the tallest structures supported by land. For most of the period from around 2650 BC to 1240 AD, the Egyptian pyramids (culminating in the Great Pyramid of Giza) were the tallest structures in the world. From 1240-1884 the records were held by European churches, and from 1954-2008 they were held by guyed radio or TV masts.
Since 2008, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai has been the tallest structure supported by land, at 829.8 metres (2,722 feet). There are oil platforms supported by the sea which have been of greater length since about 1980, with some examples up to 2,934 metres (9,627 feet). In addition, some countries monitor their borders with tethered aerostats which can rise to 6,096 metres (20,000 feet).
The Kanishka Stupa near Peshawar, Pakistan was built c. 151 and rebuilt in the 4th century. Ancient travelers claimed it was up to 171 metres (560 feet) tall, which would have been a record at the time. Modern estimates suggest a height of 122 metres (400 feet), which would not have been a record. It was destroyed by lightning.
As many large guyed masts were destroyed at the end of World War II, the dates for the years between 1945 and 1950 may be incorrect. If Wusung Radio Tower survived World War II, it was the tallest guyed structure shortly after World War II.
Freestanding structures must not be supported by guy wires (like guyed masts or partially guyed towers), or built underground or on the seabed and supported by the sea (such as the Petronius Platform). They include towers, chimneys, and skyscrapers (listed based on their pinnacle height). Until 1954, freestanding structures held the record for tallest structures overall, as seen in the Overall table above. Here are the records for freestanding structures after that point:
Notable mentions include the Pharos (lighthouse) of Alexandria, built in the third century BC and estimated between 115–135 m (377–443 ft). It was the world's tallest non-pyramidal structure for many centuries. Another notable mention includes the Jetavanaramaya stupa in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, which was built in the third century, and was similarly tall at 122 m (400 ft). These were both the world's tallest or second-tallest non-pyramidal structure for over a thousand years.
The tallest secular building between the collapse of the Pharos and the erection of the Washington Monument may have been the Torre del Mangia in Siena, Italy, which is 102 m (335 ft) tall, and was constructed in the first half of the fourteenth century; and the 97-metre-tall (318 ft) Torre degli Asinelli in Bologna, Italy, built between 1109 and 1119.
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History of the world's tallest structures
This is the history of the world's tallest structures.
Below is a list of the tallest structures supported by land. For most of the period from around 2650 BC to 1240 AD, the Egyptian pyramids (culminating in the Great Pyramid of Giza) were the tallest structures in the world. From 1240-1884 the records were held by European churches, and from 1954-2008 they were held by guyed radio or TV masts.
Since 2008, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai has been the tallest structure supported by land, at 829.8 metres (2,722 feet). There are oil platforms supported by the sea which have been of greater length since about 1980, with some examples up to 2,934 metres (9,627 feet). In addition, some countries monitor their borders with tethered aerostats which can rise to 6,096 metres (20,000 feet).
The Kanishka Stupa near Peshawar, Pakistan was built c. 151 and rebuilt in the 4th century. Ancient travelers claimed it was up to 171 metres (560 feet) tall, which would have been a record at the time. Modern estimates suggest a height of 122 metres (400 feet), which would not have been a record. It was destroyed by lightning.
As many large guyed masts were destroyed at the end of World War II, the dates for the years between 1945 and 1950 may be incorrect. If Wusung Radio Tower survived World War II, it was the tallest guyed structure shortly after World War II.
Freestanding structures must not be supported by guy wires (like guyed masts or partially guyed towers), or built underground or on the seabed and supported by the sea (such as the Petronius Platform). They include towers, chimneys, and skyscrapers (listed based on their pinnacle height). Until 1954, freestanding structures held the record for tallest structures overall, as seen in the Overall table above. Here are the records for freestanding structures after that point:
Notable mentions include the Pharos (lighthouse) of Alexandria, built in the third century BC and estimated between 115–135 m (377–443 ft). It was the world's tallest non-pyramidal structure for many centuries. Another notable mention includes the Jetavanaramaya stupa in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, which was built in the third century, and was similarly tall at 122 m (400 ft). These were both the world's tallest or second-tallest non-pyramidal structure for over a thousand years.
The tallest secular building between the collapse of the Pharos and the erection of the Washington Monument may have been the Torre del Mangia in Siena, Italy, which is 102 m (335 ft) tall, and was constructed in the first half of the fourteenth century; and the 97-metre-tall (318 ft) Torre degli Asinelli in Bologna, Italy, built between 1109 and 1119.
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