The Empire State Building: Once the World's Tallest
The Empire State Building remains a popular place to visit in New York City.
The structure sits in a central part of New York's Manhattan area. It was built at a time when many developers were racing to become the first to complete the world's tallest building.
Construction on the Empire State Building started in January 1930. Building operations began two months later. The structure went up very quickly, with workers completing framing for the structure at a rate of about four-and-a-half floors per week.
When completed in 1931, the Empire State Building was just over 443 meters tall, with 102 floors. The measurement included a 62-meter-tall lightening pole on top. It was the world's tallest building at the time and remained so for more than 40 years.
On May 1, 1931, the president of the United States, Herbert Hoover, took part in an opening ceremony. He pressed a button that turned on the lights to officially open the building.
By 1946, the Empire State Building had become the headquarters for numerous organizations and supported more than 15,000 employees. But over time, the building never became as popular with large companies as the developers had hoped. Today, the structure houses mostly small businesses.
The Empire State Building opened during the Great Depression, a long-lasting economic crisis that affected the U.S. and other economies around the world. This resulted in lower than predicted building costs. The structure alone cost about $25 million, while the cost of the land brought the price up to more than $40 million.
Today, New York City officials estimate that more than 2.5 million people visit the Empire State Building each year. At least half the visitors come from other countries.
The building has observation areas on two floors. The first is on the 86th floor and the other on the 102nd. The upper area has top-to-bottom windows on all sides to provide 360-degree views of the city skyline. Building officials say that on a clear day, visitors can see up to 120 kilometers.
On the way up, visitors can stop at an exhibit area on the second floor. Among the things to see there is a model of the moving hand used in the popular 1933 movie King Kong. In the film, King Kong climbs the Empire State Building. The huge creature is then attacked by military planes and falls to his death.
The Empire State Building appears in many pictures and films. It also disproves a common saying that 'lightning never strikes the same place twice.' Lightning actually strikes the Empire State Building an average of 25 times a year.
I'm Bryan Lynn.
Steve Ember and Faith Lapidus reported on this story for VOA Learning English. Bryan Lynn adapted the report.
Quiz - The Empire State Building: Once the World's Tallest Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz
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Words in This Story
construction –n. the act of physically building a large or extensive structure
frame – n. the basic structure of a building that carries its weight
exhibit – n. an area that displays objects to the public, such as works of art or historical items
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Voice of America
02-03-2025
- Voice of America
The Empire State Building: Once the World's Tallest
The Empire State Building remains a popular place to visit in New York City. The structure sits in a central part of New York's Manhattan area. It was built at a time when many developers were racing to become the first to complete the world's tallest building. Construction on the Empire State Building started in January 1930. Building operations began two months later. The structure went up very quickly, with workers completing framing for the structure at a rate of about four-and-a-half floors per week. When completed in 1931, the Empire State Building was just over 443 meters tall, with 102 floors. The measurement included a 62-meter-tall lightening pole on top. It was the world's tallest building at the time and remained so for more than 40 years. On May 1, 1931, the president of the United States, Herbert Hoover, took part in an opening ceremony. He pressed a button that turned on the lights to officially open the building. By 1946, the Empire State Building had become the headquarters for numerous organizations and supported more than 15,000 employees. But over time, the building never became as popular with large companies as the developers had hoped. Today, the structure houses mostly small businesses. The Empire State Building opened during the Great Depression, a long-lasting economic crisis that affected the U.S. and other economies around the world. This resulted in lower than predicted building costs. The structure alone cost about $25 million, while the cost of the land brought the price up to more than $40 million. Today, New York City officials estimate that more than 2.5 million people visit the Empire State Building each year. At least half the visitors come from other countries. The building has observation areas on two floors. The first is on the 86th floor and the other on the 102nd. The upper area has top-to-bottom windows on all sides to provide 360-degree views of the city skyline. Building officials say that on a clear day, visitors can see up to 120 kilometers. On the way up, visitors can stop at an exhibit area on the second floor. Among the things to see there is a model of the moving hand used in the popular 1933 movie King Kong. In the film, King Kong climbs the Empire State Building. The huge creature is then attacked by military planes and falls to his death. The Empire State Building appears in many pictures and films. It also disproves a common saying that 'lightning never strikes the same place twice.' Lightning actually strikes the Empire State Building an average of 25 times a year. I'm Bryan Lynn. Steve Ember and Faith Lapidus reported on this story for VOA Learning English. Bryan Lynn adapted the report. Quiz - The Empire State Building: Once the World's Tallest Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz _________________________________________________ Words in This Story construction –n. the act of physically building a large or extensive structure frame – n. the basic structure of a building that carries its weight exhibit – n. an area that displays objects to the public, such as works of art or historical items
Voice of America
27-02-2025
- Voice of America
: America's trade wars: Past and present
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Voice of America
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What Does It Mean to ‘Hit Pay Dirt'?
And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. On this program we explore words and expressions in the English language. We give examples and notes on usage. Many valuable materials are buried deep inside the ground, such as gold, oil and diamonds. But finding these riches and bringing them to the surface takes much time and effort. In the past, the term pay dirt was used to describe something found in the dirt that could bring you money. Gold is a common example of pay dirt. In fact, word experts say the term dates back to when North America's famous gold rush was happening. By the mid-1800s, thousands of people had come to parts of the United States and Canada to search for gold. The work was hard and dangerous. The weather and terrain presented many difficulties. Here is an example of how to use pay dirt from Cambridge's online dictionary: Gold rushes continued into the 19th century as lucky prospectors struck pay dirt . However, pay dirt does not have to be a valuable material found in the ground. These days, it can also describe something that produces money or profit. Or it can even be the money or profit itself. Here are some additional examples: Email addresses are the new pay dirt in social media marketing. You can reach a possible buyer in their inbox. The musical group hit pay dirt with their song after it went viral on TikTok. And that gives us the expression to hit pay dirt. To hit pay dirt means to do or find something that results in money or success. And like digging gold, it usually doesn't come easily. It requires work. When you hit pay dirt, you work hard to make money or profit from an idea or activity. We often use the verb 'hit' when using the term pay dirt . But sometimes we also say 'strike' pay dirt. This is similar to the expression to strike it rich . Many people have dreams of striking it rich one day. In her book Gold Rush, author and illustrator Flora Delargy describes the process of hitting pay dirt . She writes that in order to get large amounts of pay dirt out of the ground, 'miners would have to break through layers of permafrost to reach the gravel bedrock beneath.' This description demonstrates the difficulties faced by miners seeking to strike pay dirt. And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories. Until next time, I'm Anna Matteo. Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. _________________________________________________ Words in This Story terrain -n. the surface features of an area of land prospector -n. someone who explores for mineral deposits miner -n. one who digs or forms a pit or tunnel from which minerals (as coal, gold, or diamonds) are taken permafrost -n. a permanently frozen layer at variable depth below the surface in frigid regions of a planet (such as earth) gravel -n. loose rounded fragments of rock bedrock -n. the solid rock lying under surface materials (as soil) that are not in layers We want to hear from you. Do you have a similar expressions in your language? In the Comments section, you can also practice using any of the expressions from the story. Our comment policy is here. Or send us an email at LearningEnglish@
