The Park Row Building in New York City, built in 1899. At 391 ft (119.2m) tall it was the tallest skyscraper in the world from 1899 until 1908 when it was surpassed by the Singer Building. The building is 30 stories tall.

the pyramids of Egypt. built from approx. 4000 BC

The Flatiron Building (NYC), standing 285 ft (87 m) high, was one of the tallest buildings in the city upon its completion in 1902, made possible by its steel skeleton. It was one of the first buildings designed with a steel framework, and to achieve this height with other construction methods of that time would have been very difficult. The Woolworth Building, a neo-Gothic "Cathedral of Commerce" overlooking City Hall, was designed by Cass Gilbert. At 792 feet (241 m), it became the world's tallest building upon its completion in 1913, an honor it retained until 1930, when it was overtaken by 40 Wall Street. That same year, the Chrysler Building took the lead as the tallest building in the world, scraping the sky at 1,046 feet (319 m). More impressive than its height is the building's design, by William Van Alen. An art deco masterpiece with an exterior crafted of brick, the Chrysler Building continues to be a favorite of New Yorkers to this day. The Empire State Building, the first building to have more than 100 floors (it has 102), was completed the following year. It was designed by Shreve, Lamb and Harmon in the contemporary Art Deco style. The tower takes its name from the nickname of New York State. Upon its completion in 1931, it took the top spot as tallest building, and at 1,472 feet (448 m) to the very top of the antenna, towered above all other buildings until 1973. When the World Trade Center towers were completed in 1973 many felt them to be sterile monstrosities, even though they were the world's tallest buildings at that time. But most New Yorkers became fond of "The Twin Towers", and after the initial horror for the loss of life in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks there came great sadness for the loss of the buildings. The Empire State Building is again the tallest building in New York City. Momentum in setting records passed from the United States to other nations in 1997 with the opening of the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The record for world's tallest building remained in Asia with the opening of Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan, in 2004. A number of architectural records will likely reside in the Middle East in 2008 or 2009 with the opening of the Burj Dubai in Dubai, UAE.

The oldest ones are in Shibam, in Yemen. These are from the 1600s. The first modern skyscraper was the in Chicago, completed in 1885. It was demolished in 1931. Among the oldest modern skyscrapers still standing are the Shell Mex House (London, England, completed in 1886) and the New York Life Building (Montreal, Canada, completed in 1887).