Skyscrapers are built to last, so they must be made of materials that are strong durable resistant to the sun, wind, rain, frost, and snow and affordable. Since the birth of the skyscraper, builders and engineers have continuously looked for ways to improve building methods and materials, in order to make structures stronger, taller, and lighter. And with this new building method, the skyscraper was born and the race for the tallest building began. A new method of building was developed that used a grid of steel beams and columns that were strong enough to support any stresses or forces a building might experience, including both the weight of the floor and the building contents, as well as the force of wind or even, in some areas, earthquakes. But in order to achieve the desired height, construction techniques had to change. By the 1880s, the available land for new buildings in this area could not keep up with demand the only alternative was to build up. In the years that followed, however, instead of recovering slowly, the city experienced explosive growth, and it quickly began to strain against its natural boundaries. In 1871, Chicago suffered a devastating fire. The second development took place in Chicago. And later in the century, the switch to an electric motor made the elevator a practical solution to the problem of getting up and down tall buildings. This new development had an enormous impact on public confidence. Then in 1853, an American inventor named Elisha Graves Otis developed a safety device that kept elevators from falling if a cable should break. But these elevators were not considered safe for people if the cable broke, they would plummet to the bottom of the elevator shaft. Primitive elevators of various designs had been used for centuries, and starting in the mid 19th century, steam-operated elevators were used to move materials in factories, mines, and warehouses. The first was the development of a safe elevator. Two developments in the 19th century paved the way for a whole new type of building: the skyscraper. Because of this, the height of these buildings was limited by how massive and heavy they had to be at the base. They were built with masonry or stone walls supporting most of the weight (so-called load-bearing walls), including that of the floors, the people, and everything the rooms contained. While these types of buildings may look very different from each other, they all have one thing in common. Some of the most dramatic buildings of the past include the pyramids in Egypt, the skinny towers stretching towards the sky in Italian hill towns, and the gothic cathedrals of France. Big buildings have been used to show off power and wealth to honor leaders or religious beliefs to stretch the limits of what's possible and even as simple competition among owners, families, architects, and builders. The Chrysler Building, in New York City, once the tallest building in the world Skyscrapers & Buildings
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