1. Two sunsets a day at the Burj Khalifa
The world’s tallest building offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy two sunsets in a single day. All they need to do is start off at the base of the skyscraper, watch the first sunset there, then take a 90-second ride to the very top. Seeing as the sunsets at the base and the roof are approximately three minutes apart, a fast mover can enjoy both of them with time to spare.
2. The Makkah clock tried to change time
Perhaps slightly unrealistically, the builders of the world’s tallest clock tower, which is located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, thought that everyone would be so impressed with it that the world would adapt local Mecca time as the global standard time over Greenwich Mean Time. Needless to say that it didn’t actually happen.
3. Russian climbers once scaled Shanghai Tower
Two Russian daredevils decided to scale the heights of Shanghai Tower illegally back in February 2014. They weren’t wearing any safety gear, however, they were wearing head-mounted cameras to capture their heart-in-mouth climb.
4. The Empire State Building’s spire was conceived for blimps
Before disasters such as the Hindenburg disaster took place, many envisioned airships docking with the spire of the Empire State Building, but plans for the docking station were foiled when the designers realized that the strong winds at nearly 1,500 feet above the city’s streets would be an insurmountable challenge.
5. The Sears Tower was targeted by a cult
Before Chicago’s Sears Tower was renamed the Willis Tower, a cult of seven people calling themselves the Universal Divine Saviors plotted to bring down the world’s tallest skyscraper at the time – in spite of having no weapons or explosives to speak of. The cult’s members even sought advice from Al Qaeda, but their plans were foiled in their early stages.
6. Boston’s Hancock Tower had a time capsule
A time capsule was placed in the Hancock Tower following its completion in 1968. It was recently opened and found to contain some microfilm, a lapel pin from a US senator, a rock from the original Illinois state capital, and a piece of the Eiffel Tower.
7. Taipei 101’s earthquake protection system has a mascot
Taiwan’s Taipei 101 features a tuned mass damper, which is essentially a giant steel pendulum that’s designed to counter the effects of strong winds and earthquakes on the skyscraper. The mass damper actually has its own mascot and comic book named Damper Baby. It helps to promote the building’s impressive engineering and can be found throughout Taiwan.
8. One World Trade Center is NYC’s safest building
The tallest building in the Western hemisphere has a number of innovative safety innovations that alleviate concerns of the unthinkable happening again. From a reinforced concrete base to blast-resistant windows, pressurized stairwells, and biological and chemical filters in the buildings’ ventilation system, there are plenty of features to make people feel safe within its walls.
9. The world’s tallest hotel has just opened
Dubai’s Gevora Hotel stands some 1,168 feet above the desert after its recent completion, becoming the world’s tallest hotel in the process. It boasts numerous fancy restaurants, a health club, sauna and plenty of other attractions.
10. 432 Park Avenue’s penthouse sold for half of its asking price
The most expensive property in the world’s tallest residential building originally went on sale for $82 million back in 2016, but it ended up selling for a relatively measly $32.4 million. Not bad for a 95th-floor penthouse with views of the whole of New York City!
