In 1931, New York's Empire State Building became the tallest building in the world and a symbol of America's place on the world stage after World War II.

Few expected, however, that at 381 metres (1,250 feet) high, it would remain the world's tallest for more than four decades. After it was completed, the Great Depression hit, followed by World War II and postwar austerity.

Skyscrapers, for all their bombast, were seen as massively inefficient, and anything bigger taller than the Empire State Building was inherently dangerous: the sheer amount of steel required to keep it upright was hardly worth the investment.