thumb|[[Burj Khalifa, in Dubai, is currently the world's tallest building.]]
This is the history of the world's tallest structures.
Overall
Below is a list of the tallest structures supported by land. For most of the period from around 2667 BC to 1221 AD, the Egyptian pyramids (culminating in the Great Pyramid of Giza) were the tallest structures in the world. From 1221 to 1884 the records were held by European churches, and from 1954 to 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 829.8metres . There are oil platforms supported by the sea which have been of greater length since about 1980, with some examples up to 2,934metres . In addition, some countries monitor their borders with tethered aerostats which can rise to 6,096metres .
{|
|width=20%| Taller than all past structures (including destroyed structures)
|}
{| class="sortable wikitable" style="text-align: center;" cellpadding="2"
|- style="background: #ececec;"
!Record from
!Record held (years)
!Name and location
!Constructed<!--Sorted by completion date-->
!Height (metres)
!Height (feet)
! class="unsortable" | Coordinates
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|- style="background-color:#CEF2E0
|data-sort-value="-9500" |c. 9500 BC
|1,500
|style="text-align:left" | Göbekli Tepe, Turkey
|data-sort-value="-9500" |c. 9500 BC
|5–6
|18
|
|style="text-align:left;"| Possibly one of the earliest known temples.
|- style="background-color:#CEF2E0
|data-sort-value="-8000" |c. 8000 BC
|4,000
|style="text-align:left" | Tower of Jericho, West Bank, Palestine
|data-sort-value="-8000" |c. 8000 BC
|8.5
|27.9
|
|style="text-align:left;"| One of the earliest ever stone monuments.
|- style="background-color:#CEF2E0
|data-sort-value="-4000" |c. 4000 BC
|1,333
|style="text-align:left" | Anu ziggurat, Uruk, Iraq
|data-sort-value="-4000" |c. 4000 BC
|13
|40
|
|
|- style="background-color:#CEF2E0
|data-sort-value="-2667" |c. 2667 BC
|57
|style="text-align:left" | Pyramid of Djoser, Saqqara, Egypt
|data-sort-value="-2667" |c. 2667 BC
|62.5
|205
|
|style="text-align:left;"| First Egyptian pyramid, formed of six stacked mastabas.
|- style="background-color:#CEF2E0
|data-sort-value="-2610" |c. 2610 BC
|10
| style="text-align:left;"| Meidum Pyramid, Egypt
|data-sort-value="-2610" |c. 2610 BC
|91.65
|301
|
|style="text-align:left;"| Shortly after completion Meidum Pyramid collapsed due to bad design/instability and is now .
|- style="background-color:#CEF2E0
|data-sort-value="-2600" |c. 2600 BC
|10
| style="text-align:left;"| Bent Pyramid, Dashur, Egypt
|data-sort-value="-2600" |c. 2600 BC
|104.71
|343.5
|
|style="text-align:left;"| Angle of slope decreased during construction to avoid collapse.
|- style="background-color:#CEF2E0
|data-sort-value="-2590" |c. 2590 BC
|20
|style="text-align:left" | Red Pyramid of Sneferu, Egypt
|data-sort-value="-2590" |c. 2590 BC
|105
|344.5
|
|
|- style="background-color:#CEF2E0
|data-sort-value="-2570" |c. 2570 BC
|3,086 (first run)
|style="text-align:left;"| Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt
|data-sort-value="-2570" |c. 2570 BC
|146.6
|481
|
|style="text-align:left;"| See also 516-534 and 534-1221.
|- style="background-color:#CEF2E0
|516
|18
|style="text-align:left;"| Yongning Pagoda in Luoyang, China
|516
|147
|482
|
|style="text-align:left;"| It was destroyed by a lightning strike in 534. Its exact height is unknown, and estimates range from 137 m (in which case the Great Pyramid of Giza would have kept the record) to 240 m.
|-
|534
|3,773 (prior 3,086 + new 687)
|style="text-align:left;"| Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt
|data-sort-value="-2570" |c. 2570 BC
|146.6
|481
|
|style="text-align:left;"| See also 2570 BC - 516 and 516 - 534. By 1647, the Great Pyramid's height had decreased to after its top was removed.
|- style="background-color:#CEF2E0
|1221
|90
|style="text-align:left;"| Old St Paul's Cathedral in London, England
|data-sort-value="1666" |1087–1666
|149
|489
|
|style="text-align:left;"| The spire was destroyed by a lightning strike in 1561. Its height is disputed, for example by Christopher Wren (1632–1723), who suggested a height of .
|- style="background-color:#CEF2E0
|1311
|237
|style="text-align:left;"| Lincoln Cathedral in England
|data-sort-value="1311" |1092–1311
|160
|525
|
|style="text-align:left;"| The central spire was destroyed in a storm in 1548. While the reputed height of is accepted by most sources, others consider it doubtful
|-
|1548
|21 (first run)
|style="text-align:left;"| St. Mary's Church in Stralsund, Germany
|data-sort-value="1478" |1384–1478
|151
|495
|
|style="text-align:left;"| See also resumption 1573–1647.
|-
|1569
|4
|style="text-align:left;"| Beauvais Cathedral in France
|data-sort-value="1569" |1272–1569
|153
|502
|
|style="text-align:left;"| Spire collapsed in 1573; today, the church stands at a height of 67.2 metres (220.5 ft).
|-
|1573
|95 (prior 21 + new 74)
|style="text-align:left;"| St. Mary's Church in Stralsund, Germany
|data-sort-value="1478" |1384–1478
|151
|495
|
|style="text-align:left;"| See also 1548–1569. The church tower's spire burnt down after a lightning strike in 1647. Today the tower has a dome and stands at a height of .
|-
|1647
|227
|style="text-align:left;"| Strasbourg Cathedral in France
|1439
|142
|466
|
|style="text-align:left;"| By 1647, the Pyramid of Khafre's height had decreased from to after its top was removed.
|-
|1874
|2
|style="text-align:left;"| St. Nikolai in Hamburg, Germany
|data-sort-value="1874" |1846–1874
|147
|483
|
|style="text-align:left;"| The nave was demolished by aerial bombing during World War II; only the spire remains.
|-
|1876
|4
|style="text-align:left;"| Cathédrale Notre Dame in Rouen, France
|data-sort-value="1876" |1202–1876
|151
|495
|
|
|-
|1880
|4
|style="text-align:left;"| Cologne Cathedral in Germany
|data-sort-value="1880" |1248–1880
|157.38
|516
|
|style="text-align:left;"|
|- style="background-color:#CEF2E0
|1884
|5
|style="text-align:left;"| Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., United States
|data-sort-value="1888" |1848–1888
|169.29
|555
|
|style="text-align:left;"| The world's tallest all-stone structure, as well as the tallest obelisk-form structure.
|- style="background-color:#CEF2E0
|1889
|41
|style="text-align:left;"| Eiffel Tower in Paris, France
|data-sort-value="1889" |1887–1889
|312
|1,024
|
|style="text-align:left;"| The addition of a new telecommunications tower in 2022 brought the overall height to 330 m (1,083 ft).
|- style="background-color:#CEF2E0
|1930
|1
|style="text-align:left;"| Chrysler Building in New York City, United States
|data-sort-value="1930" |1928–1930
|319
|1,046
|
| style="text-align:left;"|
|- style="background-color:#CEF2E0
|1931
|23
|style="text-align:left;"| Empire State Building in New York City, United States
|data-sort-value="1931" |1930–1931
|381
|1,250
|
|style="text-align:left;"| First building with 100+ stories. The addition of a pinnacle and antennas later increased its overall height to . This was subsequently lowered to .
|- style="background-color:#CEF2E0
|1954
|2
|style="text-align:left" | Griffin Television Tower Oklahoma (AKA KWTV Transmission Tower), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
|1954
|480.5
|1,576
|
|
|- style="background-color:#CEF2E0
|1956
|3
|style="text-align:left" | KOBR-TV Tower, Caprock, New Mexico, United States
|1956
|490.7
|1,610
|
|style="text-align:left;"| Collapsed in 1960; rebuilt
|- style="background-color:#CEF2E0
|1959
|1
|style="text-align:left" | WGME TV Tower, Raymond, Maine, United States
|1959
|495
|1,624
|
|
|- style="background-color:#CEF2E0
|1960
|2
|style="text-align:left" | KFVS TV Mast, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, United States
|1960
|511.1
|1,677
|
|
|- style="background-color:#CEF2E0
|1962
|1
|style="text-align:left" | WTVM/WRBL-TV & WVRK-FM Tower, Cusseta, Georgia, United States
|1962
|533
|1,749
|
|
|- style="background-color:#CEF2E0
|1963
|0
|style="text-align:left" | WIMZ-FM-Tower, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
|1963
|534.01
|1,752
|
|
|- style="background-color:#CEF2E0
|1963
|11 (first run)
|style="text-align:left" | KVLY-TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, United States
|1963
|628.8
|2,063
|
|style="text-align:left;"| See also resumption 1991–1998 and 1998-2008.
|- style="background-color:#CEF2E0
|1974
|17
|style="text-align:left" | Warsaw Radio Mast, Gąbin, Poland
|1974
|646.4
|2,121
|
|style="text-align:left;"| Mast radiator insulated against ground, collapsed in 1991
|-
|1991
|18 (prior 11 + new 7 for second run)
|style="text-align:left" | KVLY-TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, United States
|1963
|628.8
|2,063
|
|style="text-align:left;"| See also 1963–1974 and 1998-2008.
|-
|1998
|0
|style="text-align:left" | KRDK-TV mast, Galesburg, North Dakota, United States
|1966
|629.1
|2,064
|
|style="text-align:left;"| Height includes the 1998 addition of a short flagpole, which was later removed.
|-
|1998
|28 (prior 18 + new 10)
|style="text-align:left" | KVLY-TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, United States
|1963
|628.8
|2,063
|
|style="text-align:left;"| See also 1963–1974 and 1991-1998. 75-foot analog antenna was removed from the top of the structure in 2018 in digital repack construction
|- style="background-color:#CEF2E0
|2008
|
|style="text-align:left;"| Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
|data-sort-value="2009" |2004–2009
|829.8
|2,722
|
|
|}
thumb|upright|[[Warsaw radio mast, the height record holder from 1974 to 1991]]
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.
Guyed structures
Many large guyed masts were destroyed at the end of World War II, so the dates for the years between 1945 and 1950 may be incorrect. If Wusung Radio Tower in China survived World War II, it would have been the tallest guyed structure shortly after World War II.
{| class="sortable wikitable" style="text-align: center;" cellpadding="2"
|- style="background: #ececec;"
! rowspan="2" | Record from
! rowspan="2" | Record held (years)
! rowspan="2" | Name and location
! rowspan="2" | Constructed
! colspan="2" | Height
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Coordinates
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Notes
|- style="background: #ececec;"
! m
! ft
|-
|1913
|7
|style="text-align:left" | Central mast of Eilvese transmitter, Eilvese, Germany
|1913
|250
|820
|
|Mast was divided in 145 m by an insulator, demolished in 1931
|-
|1920
|3
|style="text-align:left" | Central masts of Nauen Transmitter Station, Nauen, Germany
|1920
|260
|853
|
|2 masts, demolished in 1946
|-
|1923
|10
|style="text-align:left" | Masts of Ruiselede transmitter, Ruiselede, Belgium
|1923
|287
|942
| ?
|8 masts, destroyed in 1940
|-
|1933
|6
|style="text-align:left" |Lakihegy Tower, Lakihegy, Hungary
|1933
|314
|1,031
|
|Blaw-Knox Tower, insulated against ground, destroyed in 1945; rebuilt
|-
|1939
|7
|style="text-align:left" |Deutschlandsender Herzberg/Elster, Herzberg (Elster), Germany
|1939
|335
|1,099
|
|Insulated against ground, dismantled 1946/1947
|-
|1946
|2
|style="text-align:left" |Lakihegy Tower, Lakihegy, Hungary
|1946
|314
|1,031
|
|Blaw-Knox Tower, Insulated against ground, rebuilt after destruction in 1945
|-
|1948
|1
|style="text-align:left" |WIVB-TV Tower, Colden, New York, United States
|1948
|321.9
|1,056
|
|
|-
|1949
|1
|style="text-align:left" |Longwave transmitter Raszyn, Raszyn, Poland
|1949
|335
|1,099
|
|Insulated against ground
|-
|1950
|4
|style="text-align:left" |Forestport Tower, Forestport, New York, United States
|1950
|371.25
|1,218
|
|Insulated against ground, demolished
|-
|1954
| colspan="7" | From 1954-2008 guyed masts held the record for tallest structure overall, as seen in the table above.
|-
|1963
|11 (first run)
|style="text-align:left" | KVLY-TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, United States
|1963
|628.8
|2,063
|
|style="text-align:left;"| See also resumption 1991–1998 and 1998-2008.
|-
|1974
|17
|style="text-align:left" | Warsaw Radio Mast, Gąbin, Poland
|1974
|646.4
|2,121
|
|style="text-align:left;"| Mast radiator insulated against ground, collapsed in 1991
|-
|1991
|18 (prior 11 + new 7 for second run)
|style="text-align:left" | KVLY-TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, United States
|1963
|628.8
|2,063
|
|style="text-align:left;"| See also 1963–1974 and 1998-2008.
|-
|1998
|0 (first run)
|style="text-align:left" | KRDK-TV mast, Galesburg, North Dakota, United States Structures that do not meet this criterion, such as the CN Tower, are defined as "towers".
Up until the late 1990s, the definition of "tallest building" was not altogether clear. It was generally understood to be the height of the building to the top of its architectural elements including spires, but not including "temporary" structures (such as antennas or flagpoles), which could be added or changed relatively easily without requiring major changes to the building's design. Varying standards have been used by different organizations, so the accepted height of these structures or buildings depends on which standards are accepted. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat has changed its definitions over time. Some of the controversy regarding the definitions and assessment of tall structures and buildings has included the following:
- the definition of a structure, a building and a tower.
- whether a structure, building or tower under construction should be included in any assessment.
- whether a structure, building or tower has to be officially opened before it is assessed.
- whether structures built in and rising above water should have their below-water height included in any assessment.
- whether a structure, building or tower that is guyed is assessed in the same category as self-supporting structures.
Within an accepted definition of a building further controversy has included the following factors:
- whether only habitable height of the building is considered
- whether communication towers with observation galleries should be considered "habitable" in this sense
- whether rooftop antennas, viewing platforms or any other architecture that does not form a habitable floor should be included in the assessment
- whether a floor built at a high level of a telecommunications or viewing tower should change the tower's definition to that of a "building"
One historic case involved the building now famous for the Times Square Ball. Known as One Times Square (at 1475 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan), it was the headquarters for The New York Times, which gave Times Square its name. Completed in 1905, it reached a height of to its roof, or including its rooftop flagpole, which the Times hoped would give it a record high status but because a flagpole is not an integral architectural part of a building, One Times Square was not generally considered to be taller than the Park Row Building in Lower Manhattan, which was therefore still New York's tallest.
A bigger controversy was the rivalry between two New York City skyscrapers built in the Roaring Twenties—the Chrysler Building and 40 Wall Street. The latter was tall, had a shorter pinnacle, and had a much higher top occupied floor (the second category in the 1996 criteria for tallest building). Although the architects of record for 40 Wall were H. Craig Severance and Yasuo Matsui, the firm of Shreve & Lamb (who also designed the Empire State Building) served as consulting architects. They wrote a newspaper article claiming that 40 Wall was actually the tallest, since it contained the world's highest usable floor. They pointed out that the observation deck of 40 Wall was nearly higher than the top floor of the Chrysler, whose surpassing spire was strictly ornamental and essentially inaccessible. Despite the protest, the Chrysler Building was generally accepted as the tallest building in the world for almost a year, until it was surpassed by the Empire State Building's in 1931.
That was in turn surpassed by the Twin Towers of New York's original World Trade Center in 1972, which were in turn surpassed by the Sears Tower in Chicago in 1974. Now called the Willis Tower since 2009, it was to its flat rooftop, or including its original antennas. But in 1978 One World Trade Center (commonly known as the North Tower) attained a taller absolute height when it added its new broadcasting antenna, for a total height of . The WTC North Tower maintained this height record (including its antenna) from 1978 until 2000, when the owners of the Willis Tower extended its broadcasting antennae for a total height of .
- Height to architectural top (including spires and pinnacles, but not antennas, masts or flagpoles). This measurement is the most widely used and is used to define the rankings of the 100 Tallest Buildings in the World.
- Height to tip
The height-to-roof criterion was discontinued because relatively few modern tall buildings possess flat rooftops, making this criterion difficult to determine and measure.
|1,211
|style="text-align:left" | On the 102nd floor – a second observation deck is located on the 86th floor at .
|-
|1973
|1
|style="text-align:left" | 2 World Trade Center, New York City, United States
|1973
|399.4
|1,310
|style="text-align:left" | Measured from sea level, street level was 10 feet above sea level. Indoor observation deck on the 107th floor of South Tower opened on April 4, 1973. Destroyed during the September 11 attacks.
|-
|1974
|1
|style="text-align:left" | Willis Tower, Chicago, United States
|1974
|412.4
|1,353
|style="text-align:left" | Measured from the Franklin Street entrance, 103rd floor observation deck opened on June 22, 1974
|-
|1975
|1
|style="text-align:left" | 2 World Trade Center, New York City, United States
|1973
|419.7
|1,377
|style="text-align:left" | Measured from sea level, street level was 10 feet above sea level. Outdoor observation deck on rooftop of the South Tower opened on December 15, 1975. Destroyed during the September 11 attacks.
|-
|1976
|32
|style="text-align:left" | CN Tower, Toronto, Canada
|1976
|446.5
|1,464.9
|style="text-align:left" | Two further observation decks at .
|-
|2008
|3
|style="text-align:left" | Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai, China
|2008
|474
|1,555
|style="text-align:left" | Two further observation decks at .
|-
|2011
|3
|style="text-align:left" | Canton Tower, Guangzhou, China
|2011
|488
|1,601
|style="text-align:left" | The rooftop outdoor observation deck opened in December 2011. There are also several other indoor observation decks in the tower, the highest at .
|-
|2014
|2
|style="text-align:left" | Burj Khalifa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
|2010
|555
|1,821
|style="text-align:left" | Opened on October 15, 2014, on the 148th floor.
|-
|2016
|3
|style="text-align:left" | Shanghai Tower, Shanghai, China
|2015
|562
|1,841
|style="text-align:left" | Opened on July 1, 2016. there are also 2 more observation decks on the 118th and 119th floor, at 546 and 552 meters respectively.
|-
|2019
|
|style="text-align:left" | Burj Khalifa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
|2010
|585
|1,919
|style="text-align:left" | Opened on February 18, 2019, on the 154th floor. There are other observation decks on floors 153, 152, 148 (listed above), 125, and 124 (at ).
|}
Higher observation decks have existed on mountain tops or cliffs, rather than on tall structures. The highest is the Tianmen Mountain Glass Skywalk, at 1,430 meters (4,690 feet).
See also
- List of tallest buildings
- List of tallest structures
- History of the world's tallest buildings
- Tallest structures by category