Here Are 30+ World Famous Landmarks Before They Were Landmarks

Many sites, like Stonehenge and the Pyramids, were constructed before photography existed. However, we've collated some of our favorite modern buildings, bridges, monuments, memorials, stadiums, and structures photographed during construction before tourists flocked to them. So, travel with us back in time as we bring you a plethora of phenomenal photos and fascinating fun facts about these world-famous landmarks before they were landmarks.

The Hollywood Sign

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The Hollywood Sign
Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

Many sites, like Stonehenge and the Pyramids, were constructed before photography existed. However, we've collated some of our favorite modern buildings, bridges, monuments, memorials, stadiums, and structures photographed during construction before tourists flocked to them. So, travel with us back in time as we bring you a plethora of phenomenal photos and fascinating fun facts about these world-famous landmarks before they were landmarks.[/SocialIntro] [post_page_title]The Hollywood Sign[/post_page_title] Hooray for Hollywood! Overlooking Los Angeles, the Hollywood Sign is one of the world's most recognizable landmarks. The cultural icon was erected in 1923 as a temporary advert for real estate developers and originally read "HOLLYWOODLAND" in 50-foot-tall white letters. [caption id="attachment_70963" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Time // Hollywood Sign Trust & HollywoodPhotographs.com[/caption] In 1992, Jizzy Pearl, lead singer of LA glam metal band Love/Hate, strung himself on a cross on the 'Y' on the Hollywood sign. But, he got stuck for two hours until a passing news chopper spotted him and had to be cut down and arrested!

The Eiffel Tower

[post_page_title]The Eiffel Tower[/post_page_title] Construction on Paris' most famous landmark began in 1887 to celebrate the French Revolution's 100th anniversary, during which King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette famously lost their heads. So here's the Eiffel Tower without its head!

The Eiffel Tower
Rare Historical Photos // Eiffel Tower Construction

Gustave Eiffel and his team completed this mega project just in time for the 1889 World's Fair. No structure had ever been taller than 200 meters; the Eiffel Tower is more than 330. Fun fact: The iron expands in summer, meaning the tower grows by six inches.

The Burj Khalifa

[post_page_title]The Burj Khalifa[/post_page_title] The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world. The colossal 2,717-foot skyscraper looms over Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Construction commenced in 2004 and ended in 2009 at a cost of US$1.5 billion.

The Burj Khalifa
Wikimedia Commons // Imre Solt // GFDL

The building is so tall that sunrise and sunset occur at different times depending on which floor you're on. This crazy fact means that followers of the Islamic faith who live above the 150th-floor break fast during Ramadan three minutes later than those on lower floors.

Clifton Suspension Bridge

[post_page_title]Clifton Suspension Bridge[/post_page_title] Spanning the Avon Gorge in southwest England, Clifton Suspension Bridge is one of the world's finest bridges. Built by pioneering 19th-century British engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, it is one of his many fine accomplishments. The 1,352-foot engineering marvel opened in 1864 and was the site of the first-ever bungee jump in 1979.

Clifton Suspension Bridge
Flickr // University of Bristol

In 1885, 22-year-old Sarah Ann Henley jumped off the bridge, but her billowing Victorian skirts acted as a parachute, and she floated down and survived, landing in the River Avon's mud banks below.