Skyscraper
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
A skyscraper is a very tall building, usually more than 152 metres (500 feet) in height. A highrise is another name that people call skyscrapers. Skyscrapers are almost always found in cities. Many large cities have many skyscrapers. For example, New York, a large city in the USA, has a famous skyscraper called the Empire State Building. In the last 20 years, people have been building skyscrapers in cities like London, England that did not have many tall buildings in the past.
[change] History
At the start, the word skyscraper meant a tall sail on a sailing ship. 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 out of weak metals would fall down. People also did not like walking up many stairs. Also, running water could only be brought up to fifty feet high
Better technology helped make skyscrapers more common. Stronger building materials such as steel and reinforced concrete were developed, so stronger skyscrapers could be built. Water pumps brought water up to heights above fifty feet.
The first skyscraper, The Home Insurance Building, was built in Chicago, Illinois, USA. William LeBaron Jenney designed it. The building, ten stories high, was built in 1884 and 1885. It was destroyed in 1931 because they wanted to build another building where it was.
