The speaker, Michael from Vsauce, discusses the history of tallest structures built by humans. The Great Pyramids of Giza, which were 147 meters tall and stood for nearly 4,000 years, were the tallest structures humans had ever built until the 1300s. The cathedral in England then surpassed this height. The Lincoln Cathedral, Eiffel Tower, Chrysler Building, and Empire State Building were all record holders for the tallest structures. However, since the Empire State Building's record was broken by a TV tower, many other structures have surpassed it without holding the title for the longest time. The Warsaw radio mast in Poland held the record for the tallest structure built by humans until it collapsed in 1991. The KVLY-TV mast in North Dakota then became the tallest standing structure, but recently, buildings have made a comeback. The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is currently the tallest structure humans have ever built. The speaker also discusses the concept of a "Space Elevator," a structure that would be so tall that it could potentially reach into space, and the potential benefits and challenges of building such a structure.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The Great Pyramid of Giza was the tallest structure built by humans for nearly 4,000 years.
2. It stood at 147 meters tall when it was built.
3. The Lincoln Cathedral in England was the first structure to surpass the height of the Great Pyramid of Giza in the 1300s.
4. The Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure in history for about 40 years.
5. The Chrysler Building in New York was the first to surpass the Eiffel Tower in height.
6. The Empire State Building was the first structure built by humans that was so tall, a person jumping from the top would reach terminal velocity before hitting the ground.
7. The Warsaw radio mast in Poland held the record for the tallest structure ever built until it collapsed in 1991.
8. The KVLY-TV mast in North Dakota became the tallest standing structure built by humans after the Warsaw radio mast collapsed.
9. The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is currently the tallest structure built by humans, standing at a height that allows people to watch the sunset twice in one day.
10. The space shuttle and International Space Station orbit the Earth at an altitude that is relatively close to the Earth's surface.
11. The radius of the Earth can be calculated by measuring the time between the first and second setting of the sun and the height of one's eyes when standing and laying down.
12. A "Double Sunset Date" can be achieved by taking a cherry picker to the beach and moving 6 feet up to watch the sunset again.
13. The tallest structure that could be built would be a space elevator, which would be over 35,000 km high and could be stable through tension.
14. A space elevator would require materials that are not yet known to science today, except possibly Carbon Nanotubes or Boron-Nitrate Nanotubes.
15. Building a space elevator on the Moon could be feasible with current materials like Kevlar.
16. A space elevator would require solutions to dodge space debris and could potentially give the country that deploys it a 95% cost advantage in space-related activities.
17. Sending a pound of material into orbit currently costs about $11,000, but with a space elevator, it could cost only about $100.