Lunch Atop A Skyscraper – The Story Behind The Iconic 1932 Photo

The Screaming Skyscraper

Independent reported –

In Estonia they quite intentionally have a 230ft organ that’s played mellifluously by the sea. In Manchester they have a skyscraper that accidentally shrieks pure sonic fear into your soul whenever there’s a strong wind. Yes, as if blighting our skylines weren’t bad enough, the UK’s vertiginous glass skyscrapers are now screaming at us.

Continue reading HERE.

World’s Littlest Skyscraper

Mental_floss reported –

In 1912, Wichita Falls was doing a big oil business—a gusher had been hit in the nearby town of Burkbennett, and thousands of people rushed to the area to stake a claim. One of them was a businessman named J.D. McMahon—but he wasn’t there to drill for oil. Instead, McMahon surveyed the town and realized it was sorely in need of a professional space where people could manage their oil dealings. He quickly drew up plans for a towering building worthy of the riches that were surely in Wichita Falls’ future. Despite the minor detail that he didn’t actually have permission to build on the property, McMahon managed to secure $200,000 ($2.7 million today) from investors. They were reportedly thrilled about the building’s prime location across the street from a bustling hotel and not far from the train depot. They weren’t so thrilled upon the building’s completion in 1919, when they realized they had invested in more of a tall tale than a tall tower. It seems that in the rush and excitement to capitalize on the boom town, no one bothered to check the dimensions of McMahon’s plans. By the time they figured out that it soared to the grand height of 480 inches instead of 480 feet, McMahon was long gone. What’s more, a judge ruled that the investors didn’t have a case, anyway—the blueprints were clearly labeled, and the financial backers should have reviewed them more carefully.

Continue reading HERE.

 

NYC From Above [pics]

HERE is a collection of photos taken high up, looking down on New York City. I found the set on reddit and wanted to share it.

 

Highrise Apartments of Hong Kong [pics]

Here’s a rather unusual set of photos. It consists of pics of the tall cracker box apartments in Hong Kong, by photographer Michael Wolf.

Check out the pics HERE

Michael Wolf’s site HERE

 

 

Weird Fact – US and Europe Use Different Systems For Numbering The Floors of Buildings

According to Wikipedia –

Floor numbering is the numbering scheme used for a building’s floors. There are two major schemes in use across the world. In one system, used for instance in the majority of Europe, the ground floor is the floor on the ground and often has no number or is assigned the number zero. Therefore the next floor up is assigned the number 1 and is the first floor. The other system, used in the United States for instance, counts the bottom floor as number 1 or first floor. The next floor up then becomes the second floor and so on.

Read more HERE.

 

 

Tokyo Skyscraper Sways During Earthquake [video]