Dubai Has Tallest Skyscraper

The tower of Babylon doesn't have anything on the Burj Dubai, a roughly 2,684-foot behemoth that is set to open in Dubai on Monday. With more than 160 floors, the Burj is now the world's tallest building, beating out previous record-holder, The Taipei 101, reportedly by 1,000 feet, although the Burj's exact height—which expanded considerably during construction—remains a closely guarded secret. The building also holds the record for most stories, highest occupied floor, and tallest observation deck—on floor 124—of any building in the world, and ranks as the world's tallest structure, beating out a North Dakotan television mast for the honor. As the building's structural engineer, Bill Baker, put it, "We weren't sure how high we could go."