1. Skyscrapers Of The World

2. The Definition
The word "skyscraper" originally was a nautical term referring to a tall mast or its main sail on a sailing ship. The term was first applied to buildings in the late 19th century as a result of public amazement at the tall buildings being built in Chicago and New York City. The traditional definition of a skyscraper began with the "first skyscraper", a steel-framed ten storey building. Chicago's now demolished ten storey steel-framed Home Insurance Building (1885) is generally accepted as the "first skyscraper".

3. The History
Modern skyscrapers are built with materials such as steel, glass, reinforced concrete and granite, and routinely utilize mechanical equipment such as water pumps and elevators. Until the 19th century, buildings of over six stories were rare, as having great numbers of stairs to climb was impractical for inhabitants, and water pressure was usually insufficient to supply running water above 50 m.
The tallest building in ancient times was the Great Pyramid of Giza in ancient Egypt, which was 146 metres tall and was built in the 26th century BC. Its height was not surpassed for thousands of years, possibly until the 14th century AD with the construction of the Lincoln Cathedral (though its height is disputed), which in turn was not surpassed in height until the Washington Monument in However, being uninhabited buildings, none of these buildings actually complies to the definition of a skyscraper.

4. Early Skyscrapers
Most early skyscrapers emerged in the land-strapped areas of Chicago, London, and New York towards the end of the 19th century. London builders soon found building heights limited due to a complaint from Queen Victoria, rules that continued to exist with few exceptions until the 1950s; concerns about aesthetics and fire safety had hampered the development of skyscrapers across continental Europe for the first half of the twentieth century. After a competition between New York City and Chicago for the world's tallest building, New York took a firm lead by 1895 with the American Surety Building. Developers in Chicago also found themselves hampered by laws limiting height to about 40 stories, so New York City developers then competed among themselves, with successively taller buildings claiming the title of "world's tallest" in the 1920s and early 1930s, culminating with the completion of the Chrysler Building in 1930 and the Empire State Building in 1931, the world's tallest building for forty years.

5. Chrysler Building
The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco skyscraper in New York City. It was designed by architect William Van Alen to house the Chrysler Corporation. Standing at 319 metres, it was the world's tallest building for 11 months before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building in However, the Chrysler Building remains the world's tallest brick building.
The Chrysler Building is a classic example of Art Deco architecture and considered by many contemporary architects to be one of the finest buildings in New York City. In 2007, it was ranked ninth on the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects.
The Chrysler Building's distinctive profile has inspired similar skyscrapers worldwide, including One Liberty Place in Philadelphia.

6. Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in New York City. The present site of the Empire State Building was first developed as the John Thomson Farm in the late 18th century. Its name is derived from the nickname for the state of New York. It stood as the world's tallest building for more than forty years, from its completion in 1931 until construction of the World Trade Center's North Tower was completed in 1972.
The Empire State Building has been named by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. The building and its street floor interior are designated landmarks of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, and confirmed by the New York City Board of Estimate. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in In 2007, it was ranked number one on the List of America's Favorite Architecture according to the AIA.

7. World Trade Center
The World Trade Center (also referred as WTC or Twin Towers) was a complex in Lower Manhattan whose seven buildings were destroyed in 2001 in the September 11 attacks. The site is being rebuilt with six new skyscrapers and a memorial to the casualties of the attacks.
The original World Trade Center was designed by Minoru Yamasaki in the early 1960s.The complex was located in the heart of New York City's downtown financial district and contained 1.24 million m² of office space. The Windows on the World restaurant was located on the 106th and 107th floors of the North Tower, while the Top of the World observation deck was located on the 107th floor of the South Tower.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, two Boeing 767 jets flew into the complex, one into each tower, in a coordinated suicide attack. After burning for 59 minutes, the South Tower collapsed, followed a half-hour later by the North Tower, with the attacks on World Trade Center resulting in 2,750 deaths.

8. Sears Tower
The Sears Tower, a signature super tall skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois, has been the tallest building in the Americas since 1973 when it surpassed the World Trade Center. The Sears Tower is the second-tallest free-standing structure in the Americas, surpassed only by the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada, and the fourth-tallest in the World. The Sears Tower is also one of only five freestanding structures in the world to exceed 500 metres (1,640 ft) in height. It was designed by chief architect Bruce Graham and structural engineer Fazlur Khan.
The building leans about 10 cm from vertical due to its slightly asymmetrical design, placing unequal loads on its foundation. This can occasionally be felt.

9. Petronas Twin Towers
The Petronas Twin Towers (also known as the Petronas Towers or just Twin Towers), in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia are twin towers and were the world's tallest buildings, before being surpassed by Taipei 101. However, the towers are still the tallest twin buildings in the world. They were the world's tallest buildings from 1998 to 2004 if measured from the level of the main entrance to the structural top.
They were built on the site of Kuala Lumpur's race track. Because of the depth of the bedrock, the buildings were built on the world's deepest foundations.

10. Taipei 101
Taipei 101 is a 101-floor landmark skyscraper located in Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan (Republic of China). It is the world's tallest completed skyscraper. It has been hailed as one of the Seven New Wonders of the World and Seven Wonders of Engineering.
Its postmodern style combines Asian and international modern and traditional elements. It is designed to withstand typhoons and earthquakes. A multi-level shopping mall adjoining the tower houses hundreds of fashionable stores, restaurants and clubs. Fireworks launched from Taipei 101 feature prominently in international New Year's Eve broadcasts, and the tower appears frequently in films, television shows, print publications, anime media, games, and other elements of popular culture.

11. Prepared by Kristina Maiman
School