The Empire State Building is a skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, designed by the architectural firm Shreve, Lamb and Harmon in the Art Deco style. Construction began in March 1930 and moved at an astonishing pace, with the 102-storey building rising in little more than a year. President Herbert Hoover opened it by pressing a button in Washington. It stood 381 metres high, or 443 metres to the tip of its antenna, and was the tallest building in the world until the World Trade Center's North Tower was completed in 1970. Because it opened during the Great Depression, much of its office space stood empty for years. It has become one of the best-known landmarks of New York City.
Before and after
- 2 March 1931Birth of Mikhail Gorbachev
- 10 April 1931Death of Kahlil Gibran
- from 14 April 1931 to 1 April 1939Second Spanish Republic
- 15 April 1931Birth of Tomas Tranströmer
- 1 May 1931Construction of Empire State Building
- 27 May 1931Construction of Chrysler Building
- 3 June 1931Birth of Raúl Castro
- 10 July 1931Birth of Alice Munro
- 11 July 1931Construction of Ernst-Happel-Stadion
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The era
This moment belongs to the Modern era (1914 CE to 1945 CE), world wars and a changing world. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.