Quiz of the Day
Landmarks & Architecture
Friday, 26 June 2026
CN Tower 50th anniversary — famous towers, architectural wonders, skyscraper records and engineering feats
1. In which year did Toronto's CN Tower open to the public?
- 1976
- 1980
- 1984
- 1972
The CN Tower held the record as the world's tallest free-standing structure for 34 years (1975-2010) at 553 metres. It was originally built by Canadian National Railway as a communications tower to solve signal problems caused by Toronto's growing skyline.
2. Which building surpassed the CN Tower as the world's tallest free-standing structure in 2010?
- Taipei 101
- One World Trade Center
- Burj Khalifa
- Shanghai Tower
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai stands at 828 metres with 163 floors. It uses over 330,000 cubic metres of concrete and 39,000 tonnes of steel. The exterior cladding would cover 17 football pitches.
3. How many years did it take to build the Great Wall of China across various dynasties?
- About 2,000 years
- About 1,000 years
- About 500 years
- About 200 years
Construction began in the 7th century BC and continued until the 17th century AD. The total length of all sections ever built is over 21,000 km. Contrary to popular myth, it is not visible from space with the naked eye.
4. What engineering innovation keeps the Leaning Tower of Pisa from falling over?
- A hidden internal counterweight
- Steel braces inside the walls
- Underground cables anchored to bedrock
- Soil extraction from the non-leaning side
Engineers removed 38 cubic metres of soil from beneath the north side between 1999 and 2001, reducing the lean from 5.5 degrees to about 3.97 degrees. The tower is now stable for at least another 200 years. It originally started leaning during construction in 1178.
5. Which famous landmark was a gift from France to the United States, unveiled in 1886?
- The Washington Monument
- The Lincoln Memorial
- The Statue of Liberty
- The Gateway Arch
The statue was designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi with an iron framework by Gustave Eiffel (of Eiffel Tower fame). It arrived in New York in 350 individual pieces packed in 214 crates. Her index finger alone is 2.4 metres long.
6. What is the tallest building in the United Kingdom as of the mid-2020s?
- 22 Bishopsgate
- The Shard
- One Canada Square
- The Gherkin
The Shard in London stands at 310 metres with 95 storeys. Designed by Renzo Piano, it was inspired by the spires of London churches and the masts of sailing ships depicted in 18th-century paintings of the Thames.
7. Which ancient wonder of the world is the only one still standing?
- The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
- The Great Pyramid of Giza
- The Colossus of Rhodes
- The Lighthouse of Alexandria
Built around 2560 BC, the Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years. Its base is level to within just 2.1 centimetres across 230 metres — more precise than many modern buildings.
8. What innovative structural system allows modern skyscrapers to resist wind forces?
- Tuned mass dampers
- Flying buttresses
- Roman arches
- Cantilever beams
Taipei 101 has one of the world's largest tuned mass dampers: a 730-tonne steel pendulum ball suspended near the top of the building. It can reduce sway by up to 40%. During a 2015 typhoon, the ball swung over a metre — and visitors could watch it.
9. Which architect designed the Sydney Opera House?
- Zaha Hadid
- Frank Lloyd Wright
- Frank Gehry
- Jorn Utzon
Danish architect Utzon won the design competition in 1957, but construction proved so difficult that the project ran 10 years late and 14 times over budget. Utzon was forced out mid-project and never saw the finished building in person.
10. What is the Eiffel Tower primarily made of?
- Steel
- Cast iron
- Aluminium
- Wrought iron
The Eiffel Tower uses 7,300 tonnes of wrought iron held together by 2.5 million rivets. Built for the 1889 World's Fair, it was meant to be temporary and dismantled after 20 years. It was saved because it proved useful as a radio transmission tower.
11. Which skyscraper was the world's first to exceed 100 floors?
- Willis Tower (Sears Tower)
- Chrysler Building
- Empire State Building
- World Trade Center
The Empire State Building has 102 floors and was completed in just 410 days in 1931 during the Great Depression. At peak construction, around 3,400 workers per day assembled about four and a half storeys per week.
12. What famous bridge, completed in 1937, was once the longest suspension bridge in the world?
- Golden Gate Bridge
- Brooklyn Bridge
- Humber Bridge
- Tower Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge's main span is 1,280 metres. Its iconic 'International Orange' colour was originally just primer paint — the consulting architect liked it so much he made it permanent. The bridge contains enough wire in its cables to circle the equator three times.
13. Which architect is known for 'deconstructivist' designs including the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao?
- Frank Gehry
- Renzo Piano
- Norman Foster
- I.M. Pei
The Guggenheim Bilbao (1997) is clad in 33,000 titanium panels, each as thin as a sheet of paper. It transformed Bilbao from a declining industrial city into a tourist destination — an effect so dramatic it is now known as the 'Bilbao Effect' in urban planning.
14. What ancient structure in Rome could seat approximately 50,000 spectators?
- The Pantheon
- The Colosseum
- The Parthenon
- The Forum
The Colosseum was completed in AD 80 and had 80 entrances allowing it to fill or empty in minutes. It could even be flooded for mock naval battles. A retractable canvas awning called the 'velarium', operated by sailors, shaded spectators from the sun.
15. Which city is home to the Petronas Twin Towers, once the world's tallest buildings?
- Singapore
- Jakarta
- Kuala Lumpur
- Bangkok
The Petronas Towers held the tallest-building record from 1998 to 2004. The 58-metre skybridge connecting the two towers at the 41st floor is the highest two-storey bridge in the world. Each tower has a different construction company — one South Korean, one Japanese.