I visited New York City when I was 17 years old (almost 18), and it is an experience I shall never forget. Although all my pictures were lost in a flooded basement shortly after my marriage, I still have a video of it. I used to have a picture of this building as well as a picture that included the Twin Towers (which I don’t even recall while there). I got the chance to go to the top of today’s feature. On this date in 1931, the Empire State Building was opened to the public. It was the tallest building at that time at 1250 feet tall. It was build as a result of the skyscraper race sparked by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France in 1889. It was taller than the recently-built Chrysler Building that stood a mere 1046 feet tall. And just for good measure, they added a lightning rod to the roof which brought it to a 1454 feet tall. At the height of its building of this structure, the workers averaged four and a half stories per day.
For more info:
http://famousdaily.com/history/empire-state-building-opens-in-new-york.html
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/wwii/jb_wwii_empire_1.html
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1930s/a/empirestatebldg.htm
