Skyscrapers were invented in the United States. 摩天大楼是在美国发明的。

 
Two new technological developments made very tall buildings possible in the late 1800s. One development was the mechanical elevator. It meant that people would not have to climb many steps to reach the upper floors of tall buildings. It saved time and effort. 1800年代后期，两项新的技术发展使建筑物成为可能。 一个发展是机械电梯。 这意味着人们不必爬上许多步骤才能到达高层建筑的上层。 它节省了时间和精力。

The second was good quality steel that could carry the heavy load of a tall structure. These two developments helped make the skyscraper possible. 第二个是高质量的钢，可以承受高大的结构的重量。 这两个发展有助于使摩天大楼成为可能。 

Many experts consider the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, Illinois to be the first skyscraper. It was completed in 1885 and later increased to a height of 55 meters. Today, this would not be considered tall. But at the time, this height was striking. 许多专家认为伊利诺伊州芝加哥的家庭保险大楼是第一批摩天大楼。 它于1885年完成，后来增加到55米的高度。 今天，这不会被认为是高个子。 

但是当时，这个高度令人震惊。 What was different about the Home Insurance Building was its structure. It was built using a steel frame. 房屋保险大楼的不同之处在于它的结构。 它是使用钢架建造的。 

This frame carried the weight of the building rather than the walls. The method was known as “skeleton construction” at the time. Before this technology, a tall building required thick stone walls to support its weight. Thick walls are extremely heavy and take up a big area that could be used for floor space or windows. 该框架带有建筑物的重量，而不是墙壁。 该方法当时被称为“骨架构造”。 在这项技术之前，一栋高建筑物需要厚的石墙来支撑其重量。 厚的墙壁非常重，并占用可用于地板或窗户的大区域。 

William Jenney was the engineer who helped build the Home Insurance Building. He understood the possibilities that steel frames could offer. Some people consider him the father of the skyscraper. 威廉·詹妮（William Jenney）是帮助建造家庭保险大楼的工程师。 他了解钢架可以提供的可能性。 有人认为他是摩天大楼的父亲。 

Soon after the building was finished, builders in Chicago and New York City began copying and improving on the idea of building upwards. Builders in these cities and others would also begin competing for the title of “tallest building.” 建筑物完成后不久，芝加哥和纽约市的建筑商开始复制和改进建造的想法。 这些城市和其他人的建筑商也将开始争夺“最高建筑物”的头衔。

The Empire State building in New York City was completed in 1931. It was the tallest building in the world for more than 40 years. It is still one of the most popular. Millions of visitors have seen New York from observation areas in this building. 纽约市的帝国大厦于1931年完成。这是40多年来世界上最高的建筑。 它仍然是最受欢迎的之一。 数以百万计的游客从这座建筑物的观察区看到了纽约。 

Chicago became home to the world’s tallest building in 1973 when the Sears Tower was completed. It is 442 meters tall. The Sears Tower, which is now called Willis Tower, was the tallest building in the world for 23 years. Then, in 1996, two taller buildings were completed. They are the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They are about 452 meters tall. 1973年，西尔斯大厦（Sears Tower）完成时，芝加哥成为了世界上最高建筑物的所在地。 它高442米。 西尔斯塔（Sears Tower）现在称为威利斯塔（Willis Tower），是世界上23年来最高的建筑。 然后，在1996年，建造了两座更高的建筑物。 他们是马来西亚吉隆坡的石油塔。 他们高约452米。

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is a nonprofit organization based in Chicago that studies tall buildings and their place in the design of cities. CTBUH supports tall buildings as a way to create more sustainable cities to live in. The group publishes a list of the world’s tallest buildings. Today, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai is considered the tallest building at 828 meters. 高层建筑和城市栖息地理事会（CTBUH）是一个位于芝加哥的非营利组织，研究高建筑物及其在城市设计中的地位。 CTBUH支持高大的建筑物，以创建更可持续的城市来居住。该集团发布了世界上最高的建筑物的清单。 如今，迪拜的Burj Khalifa被认为是828米的最高建筑物。 

The tallest building in the United States and North America is One World Trade Center in New York, which replaced the two towers of the World Trade Center destroyed in the terrorist attacks against the United States in 2001. One World Trade Center stands at 541 meters. 美国和北美最高的建筑物是纽约的一个世界贸易中心，该中心取代了2001年在恐怖袭击美国的世界贸易中心的两座塔楼。一个世界贸易中心位于541米处。