Originally, the wordskyscraper meant a tallsail on a sailingship. Over time, the word's meaning has changed, and today it means a tall building. Until the nineteenth century, buildings taller than six stories tall were not common. Tall buildings made of weak materials would fall down. In addition, people did not like walking up many steps and runningwater could only be brought up to fifty feet (15m) high.
Bettertechnology helped make skyscrapers more common. Stronger building materials such assteel andreinforced concrete were developed, so stronger buildings could be made. Waterpumps brought water up to heights above fifty feet.
The first building to be considered a skyscraper, theHome Insurance Building, was built inChicago,Illinois in theUnited States, and was designed byWilliam LeBaron Jenney. The building, ten stories high, was built from 1884 to 1885. It was destroyed in 1931 because they wanted to build another building in its previous place.
In the same year the Home Insurance Building was destroyed, one of the oldest and most famous skyscrapers, theEmpire State Building, opened in New York City. Later in the20th century, people started building skyscrapers in cities that did not have many tall buildings in the past. In 1973, the then-calledSears Tower in Chicago was finished and became the world's tallest building until the late 1990s. It took the record from theWorld Trade Center in New York City, which opened in 1970 but was destroyed in theSeptember 11, 2001 attacks.
Many taller buildings have been built since then, includingTaipei 101 inTaipei. This building was the world's tallest from 2004 until 2008, when theBurj Khalifa inDubai opened. Burj Khalifa is at this time the tallest building and man-made structure ever made, but theJeddah Tower inJeddah, which is still being built, will be even taller.
