10 Interesting Facts about CN Tower

If you love to have fun in a such high place, then you should at least read one of these following facts about CN Tower. CN Tower, as you know, is a 533.33 meter-high concrete communications and observation tower in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was built on the former Railway Lands and completed in 1976. At the same year, CN Tower also became the world’s tallest free-standing structure and world’s tallest tower. To get to know more about it, here are other facts about CN Tower you may consider interesting.

Facts about CN Tower 1: Construction Period

Construction on the CN Tower began on February 6, 1973 and wrapped up about 40 months later in June 1976. About 1,537 workers toiled five days a week, 24 hours a day to build the CN Tower.

Facts about CN Tower 2: Giant Erickson Air-crane Silorsky Helicopter

On April 2, 1975, onlookers gazed up in amazement as a giant Erickson Air-crane Silorsky helicopter placed the final piece of the CN Tower’s antenna into place, officially making it the world’s tallest building.

Facts about CN Tower 3: Purpose of Construction

The CN Tower was built to withstand an earthquake of 8.5 on the Richter scale (the Kobe earthquake in 1995 was 7.2 on the Richter scale). The upper reaches of the CN Tower were built to withstand winds up to 418 km/h (260 mph).

Facts about CN Tower 4: Lightning Strikes

Lightning strikes the CN Tower an average of 75 times per year. Long copper strips run down the CN Tower to grounding rods buried below ground to prevent damage.

Facts about CN Tower 5: Observation Deck

Six glass-faced elevators travel at 22 km/hour (15 miles/hour) to reach the observation deck in 58 seconds. On a clear day, visitors to the CN Tower’s observation deck can see over 160 kilometers (100 miles). That’s all the way to Niagara Falls and across Lake Ontario to New York State.

Facts about CN Tower 6: 1200 Hexagonal Core

The CN Tower has a hollow 1200′ hexagonal core providing stability and flexibility to the full height tower.

Facts about CN Tower 7: CN Tower’s Glass Floor

The CN Tower’s Glass Floor was the first of its kind when it was opened in June 1994. It is 23.8 square meters (256 sq. ft.) of solid glass and 5 times stronger than the required weight-bearing standard for commercial floors. If 14 large hippos could fit in the elevator and get up to the Observation Deck, the Glass Floor could withstand their weight.

Facts about CN Tower 8: Rotation

The 360 Restaurant makes a complete rotation every 72 minutes giving diners a changing view of Toronto more than 1,000 feet below.

Facts about CN Tower 9: Cost and Result

The CN Tower was built at an original cost of $63 million. It is also an incredible 2.79 cm (1.1 inches) within plumb, or, true vertical.

Facts about CN Tower 10: Wonder of the Modern World

In 1995, the CN Tower is designated a Wonder of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Other than that, it also dims unnecessary exterior lights during bird migration seasons to prevent bird injuries.

Those following facts about CN Tower may have expanded your knowledge about how tall the tower is. It was built to give much fun to the visitors and people who come there. Hope you would find those CN Tower facts really interesting and useful.