A Structure Taller than the Pyramid of Giza
The Pyramid of Giza was the tallest building in the world for a total of 3,871 years. A taller structure was not built until the Lincoln Cathedral in London in 1311 — about 4,000 years after. It is, however, incredible that ancient Egyptians completed the Pyramid of Giza in 20 years, but it took over 200 years for England to finish the construction of the Lincoln Cathedral.
Photo by English Heritage/Heritage Images/Getty Images
A look at both structures will convince you that the Pyramid of Giza is still the tallest of the two. That was because the Cathedral’s central spire collapsed in 1594, and it was never reconstructed after that. This essentially means the Lincoln Cathedral was the tallest building in the world for a total of 238 years. Its importance lies not in the record it set but in the one it broke.