Episodes
1. A Short History of Tall Buildings - Episode 1
May 11, 2005
50 min
It begins with the extraordinary story of the technology that made it all possible: steel cage construction and the lift. Elisha Otis’s demonstration of his safety lift was the star turn at the New York Worlds Fair in 1854, run by the great American showman, PT Barnum. This streak of showmanship and element of popular entertainment runs through the New York skyscraper’s golden age.
Guest Stars:
Sophie Dahl
2. A Short History of Tall Buildings - Episode 2
May 18, 2005
50 min
The skyscraper goes global, as Alan Yentob continues to chart the history of tall buildings, examining the cultural legacy of the tower and the rise of a new super class of sky-high buildings.
3. A Short History of Tall Buildings - Episode 3
May 25, 2005
50 min
There are now more tall buildings in the Far East than in North America – the traditional home of the skyscraper – while China, the world’s largest country and fastest-growing economy, is building cities at a rate unprecedented in the history of mankind.
