Build It Bigger

 

No. 10 - Great Wall of China

 
At first glance, the Great Wall doesn't seem so amazingly difficult to build - I mean, it's just a big stone wall, right?

But take a step back to grasp its length and you might get a different perspective. Stretching 4,000 miles across China, the wall is actually a series of several walls that were built, rebuilt, merged and expanded over the course of 2,000 years, which certainly makes it the lengthiest undertaking of any engineering project.

While the first versions of the wall were built as early as 400 B.C., the version of the wall that we see today dates back only as far as the A.D. 15th to 17th centuries.

And by the way, it's not all that visible from space.

PUZZLES: Feats of Engineering Puzzles

Top 10 Feats of Engineering    10   9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1    Next »

More Science Top 10s

piltdown Top 10 Science Hoaxes
You might know about Piltdown Man, but what about the deadly cake?
mad scientist Top 10 Mad Scientists
The original Dr. Evil.
mating Top 10 Mating Rituals
No gin fizzes necessary!
deadliest, diseases Top 10 Deadly Diseases
What are the most common, but deadliest, diseases?
organs Top 10 Useless Body Parts
Anyone who's had a wisdom tooth pulled will know what we mean.
accidental inventions Top 10 Accidental Inventions
When whoops! really works out for the best.
 
 
advertisement

Shop Discovery

 
newsletter
 
 

our sites

video

shop

stay connected

corporate