(click on pic for mightier version or go here for mightiest version)
this is incredible.
published in 1884, the diagram above shows the 77 tallest buildings of the old world (europe, asia and africa) at that time. strangely, the 78th and tallest structure shown is from the new world: the washington monument. it stood/stands at 555ft and was completed the year the diagram was made. the tallest of the old world was number 34, cologne cathedral, at 510ft.
the buildings were colour coded depending on the construction materials used…
red tint = brick ; stone colour = stone ; pink = granite ; purple = bronze, copper or lead ; yellow = gold
just as a comparison, here are the current tallest buildings on earth…
Filed under: architecture, construction, history, just brilliant, technology, vintage, wow | 46 Comments
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great image.
I’ve found a larger version here:
http://www.infocustech.com/skyscrapers/worlds%20tallest%20buildings.jpg
cheers entropia, i’ve added that link.
very cool…crazy to think about people 100 years from now looking back at our measly little buildings.
Wheres the CN Tower?
Thats neat!
Great that you put both the old and new photos together. The link in the previous comments made it much easier to read. You should switch it to that one.
cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!
howtobelike.com
“current” tallest buldings? might want to check over two of those….. awkward..
if you like skyscrapers there’s an awesome poster of 33 world skyscrapers here. i have it and it’s great…the whole site is great!!
http://skyscraperpage.com/store/posters/
Where’s the CN Tower? It was just surpassed by the Burj Dubai as the worlds tallest freestanding structure earlier this year.
no manes
Well, if we’re counting the washington monument, should we not count the CN Tower, standing 1,815.39 ft high?
What about the Dom Tower in Utrecht, Netherlands: 112 metres (368 feet) in height, built between 1321 and 1382?
What about the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) in Delft, Netherlands: 108 meters = 354 feet in height, built in 1496?
In other words: I think the statement “77 tallest buildings of the old world” is a bit strange, unless 1382 is not yet old world.
The *map*’s title is *principcal* high building: Apparently some selection was made?
The list is inaccurate because it doesn’t include the 12th century Qutub Minar in Delhi. It is the tallest brick minaret in the world at 237 feet high.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qutub_Minar
the modern image is missing the CN Tower, should be 2nd
Hmm.. the new version left off the Chicago Spire. Which is also under contruction and is supposed to be taller than the Sears Tower.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Spire
Great work. It’s really cool you managed to find those all by yourself.
The U.S. has really dropped the ball with the freedom tower… Short and poorly named. A true testament to America’s reluctance to conquer adversity in an age sullied by multiculturalism and hyper-sensitivity. The “greatest generation” has given birth to a bunch if sissies…
Looks great. Good Job.
Wow,
America was great even then!!!
This is really cool
and interesting comments on what has been left out \
Thanks
Although the CN Tower is now the 2nd taller free standing structures, its just that, the 2nd tallest free standing structure. It does not get classified as a ‘building’. If we looked at the tallest structure period we would have to look at the KVLY-TV mast standing 628.8 m (2,063 ft).
Agreed though that if the Washington Monument is included then I would classify the CN Tower.
The CN Tower was not built prior to 1884. That is why it is not included on the first diagram. The second diagram is tallest skyscrapers, not tallest freestanding structures. That is why it is not in the second diagram, it is not in the same classification. There are several restrictions concerning skyscrapers.
The Washington Monument was big news in 1884; the capstone was set in December of that year, and it was dedicated in February of 1885. At that time, everyone knew about it. In fact, it is quite likely that this document is ABOUT the monument – showing people how big it is in relation to all those other big things.
The document also does not claim that these are the old world’s tallest buildings; it says “principal” buildings. They weren’t trying to make a comprehensive list; they were simply trying to explain to people how tall the Washington Monument is by comparing it to other buildings that people of that era would have known about.
Even if the Washington Monument wasn’t the purpose of the document, its inclusion still makes sense as the “modern” comparison that everyone would know. We see this commonly today with anything attempting to show relative size (”this skyscraper is as tall as 20 Empire State Buildings” or “the Sassanid Empire was larger than the United States”).
That building in dubai is so tall, it’s classified. Now that’s a tall tale. i guess the Apple store in Manhattan is going to have a huge opening this friday at 6pm, even though it isn’t officially announced, that’s what iHear!
it is going to have many square feet, but nothing like the ultra mass of these buildings.
From wikipedia:
“The Giralda is the bell tower of the Cathedral of Seville in Seville, Spain, one of the largest churches in the world and an outstanding example of the Gothic and Baroque architectural styles. The tower first two thirds is a former Almohad minaret which, when built, was the tallest tower in the world at 97.5 m (320 ft) in height. “
Just a slight correction to this old diagram. In 1884 (and since 1876) the Rouen’s Cathedral was 495 feet high and not 460. It was the highest building in the world before Cologne’s Cathedral was finished (in 1880)
Everyone knows that Canada isn’t a real country, thus the CN Tower doesn’t count.
why antennas are sometimes taken into account and sometimes not in the second graph?
Looks weird…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_and_structures_in_the_world
Meters Feet
585.7 1,922 Skyscraper (under construction), Burj Dubai
553.3 1,815 CN Tower, Toronto, Ontario
527.3 1,730 Skyscraper (completed only) – to top of antenna, Sears Tower, Chicago
509.2 1,671 Skyscraper (completed only) – to top of spire, Taipei 101, Taiwan
452 1,482 Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
i think the image lack of the mayan piramids (tikal (64mts), kukulkan piramid (26mts)), and i think some aztec piramides where tall enough to be in that list
How many were built as monuments to God and how many were built as monuments to man? Has the frequency changed over time? Is there a lesson in the answers?
the freedom tower is gonna be awesome!!! cant wait till its done
The Washington Monument was the world’s tallest building for five years – from it’s completition in 1884 until 1889. In 1889 it lost that title to Eiffel Tower, which is, in my opionion, way more impressive and beautiful as an installation. I would’ve included it in the picture. Eiffel in its turn lost the title to the Empire State Building only in 1930…
http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=231623809&size=o