My Daily Bread Crumbs 03 Sep 2022

Skyscraper Day is held annually on September 3. Celebrate this unofficial holiday by climbing or taking the elevator/lift up a skyscraper and by acknowledging the architectural and engineering feats that make such buildings possible.

The holiday, which has unknown origins, encourages people to learn more about the science and art of building skyscrapers.

40 Floors

Skyscrapers are very tall buildings that define a city's skyline. The term originates in the United States in the late 1880s during the building boom in Chicago and New York. At this time, buildings that had more floors than the surrounding buildings were called skyscrapers. These days, buildings that have have at least 40 or more floors are designated as skyscrapers.

Three Height Criteria

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, an international organization of civil engineers and architects based in Chicago, U.S. is an authority on the official heights of tall buildings and determines which building receives the title of the Tallest Building in the World. The Council ranks the heights of buildings based on three criteria: the height of building from the lowest level to the architectural top, excluding antennae and flagpoles; the highest occupied floor; and from the lowest level to the highest level, including antennae and flagpoles.

How to Celebrate?

Go up a skyscraper and take in the views from the top floor. Many skyscrapers have restaurants or cafes at their top floors - why not have a meal there while enjoying your city’s landscape?
Learn more about the science and engineering behind these architectural marvels.
Make your own skyscraper city using toy blocks or other materials.

Did You Know...

...that in Hong Kong tall buildings do not have a floor numbered 13 or any floors that have a 4 in its number. This is because the numbers 13 and 4 are culturally seen as unlucky numbers.

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James and Stephen go into a sweet shop. James stealthily pockets three bars of chocolate and slips out. Gloating, he challenges Stephen to do something even bigger.

“No problem,” replies Stephen. “I’ll show you the real art of thieving.”

Re-entering the shop, Stephen approaches a member of staff and asks, “Would you like to see a magic trick?”

The staff member nods, so Stephen takes three chocolate bars off the shelf and eats them all.

“So where’s the magic?” asks the staff member.

“Just check my friend’s pocket,” Stephen replies, pointing to James. “You’ll find all three bars intact.”

***

At the funeral of a family friend, I was chatting to June, an elderly lady I hadn’t seen since I was a teenager. I was thrilled when she told me what a beautiful young woman I’d become.

On the journey home, I remarked to my mother how lovely it had been to see June again.

“Yes, it’s such a shame that she’s gone blind,” she said sadly.

***

Two hunters hired a pilot to fly them deep into the wilderness to look for deer. After bagging six large bucks, they were loading the plane to return when the pilot said, “Hold on. This aircraft is only rated to carry four deer.”

The two men objected strongly. “Last year we got six and the pilot let us take them all – and he had the exact same plane.”

Reluctantly, the pilot gave in and all six deer were loaded. However, even on full power, the little plane couldn’t handle the load and went down in the forest. Somehow the two men survived, and after climbing from the wreckage the first hunter asked: “Any idea where we are?”

“Sure,” his friend replied. “I think we’re pretty close to where we crashed last year.”

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