ZAP’S FACTS!
ANCIENT

The Great Pyramid was the tallest building on Earth for 3,800 years.

Built around 2560 BCE, it held the world height record until a cathedral in England finally beat it in the 1300s.

2 min read
The Great Pyramid was the tallest building on Earth for 3,800 years.
THE FULL STORY

The Great Pyramid of Giza was built around 2560 BCE as a tomb for Pharaoh Khufu. When it was finished, it rose about 481 feet into the sky - taller than any other human-made structure on Earth. And it kept that title for an astonishing 3,800 years.

Nothing topped it until the spire of Lincoln Cathedral in England was completed in 1311 CE. For context: by the time Lincoln Cathedral finally beat the pyramid, the Roman Empire had already risen, ruled and crumbled. Whole civilizations came and went while the pyramid quietly held the world record.

The pyramid is built from roughly 2.3 million stone blocks, some weighing 80 tons. Originally it was covered in smooth, polished white limestone that gleamed in the desert sun. Earthquakes and thieves stripped most of that off, leaving the rough yellow stones you see today.

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