Ancient photos of famous world landmarks

Have you ever wondered what the Niagara Falls, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the Statue of Liberty look like before they become popular attractions?

Niagara Falls (located on the border between the United States and Canada). In the photo is the Niagara Falls in 1859. A wooden bridge near the waterfall was built in 1827 so visitors can stand admiring the beautiful scenery on the water. The bridge immediately attracted tourists from both the Americas and Europe.

The Great Sphinx of Giza (Egypt) 4,500 years old statue located on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Egypt. A mythical figure portrayed as a lion’s head, the Sphinx was buried to the shoulder by sand until the early 1800s, when a group of explorers tried to dig out. A further dig in the 1930s cleared the sand completely. The above photo taken in 1882 shows the body of the statue still partially buried.

Statue of Liberty (New York City, USA) This famous statue was first not placed in New York, in fact it was on display at the Paris World Fair in 1878 (pictured), before France awarded to America in 1886 to commemorate the alliance between the two countries during the American Revolution.

Eiffel Tower (Paris, France) .The Eiffel Tower was built from 1887-1889 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution and welcome the 1889 World Exhibition. The above photo was taken in 1889. Today, the Eiffel Tower attracts about 7 million tourists per year.

Buckingham Palace (London, England). In the photo is Queen Victoria’s Diamond Festival in 1897. Buckingham Palace is one of Britain’s most famous landmarks and has been the official royal residence since 1837.

Forbidden City (Beijing, China). The Forbidden City is a royal palace with a large construction scale of over 720,000 m2. The Forbidden City was built between 1406-1420 and was recognized as a world cultural heritage by UNESCO in 1987. The photo above was taken in 1908, the Forbidden City.

The Angkor Wat complex (Siem Reap, Cambodia) .The temple complex of Angkor Wat is said to be the largest religious architecture in the world, covering an area of ​​162.6 hectares and includes more than one thousand buildings. in 1910 with Apsara dancers in traditional costumes outside the temple.

Hollywood sign (city Los Angeles, California state, USA). The Hollywood sign used to be labeled “Hollywoodland” as seen in the photo taken in 1925. In 1949, the signboard omitted the word “land”.

Times Square (New York City, USA). Times Square of the 1920s (pictured) is a far cry from today, with very few flashing lights and billboards. Originally, this place was called Longacre Square and was renamed Times Square in April 1904.

Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco, California, USA). The photo above was taken on May 24, 1937, a few days before the official opening and a small number of journalists were allowed to cross the bridge. Today, about 100,000 vehicles cross the bridge every day.

Empire State Building (New York City, USA). The image above is when the building is under construction in 1931. It was the tallest building in the world until the 1970s, when the World Trade Center won this position.

Matterhorn Mountain (in the Swiss Alps) In the photo is a tourist resting on an observation point on the Italian slopes in the 1950s.

Mount Everest (located between the border between Nepal and Tibet on the roof of the world in the Himalayas). In the photo shows a climber looking out over Mount Everest from one of the surrounding streets in 1955.

Taj Mahal Temple (Agra, India) The Taj Mahal was built in 1632 by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in commemoration of his wife. This is one of India’s most popular attractions, usually welcoming about 3 million tourists a year. Pictured is the peaceful scene of the temple in 1960.

Leaning Tower of Pisa (Florence, Italy). Historically, Italy has experienced many earthquakes, earthquakes with great destructive power. The leaning tower of Pisan is still standing tall over time after four earthquakes from the 13th century. The ground is the reason why the tower is tilted. But it also helps the tower survive major earthquakes. The image above was taken in the 1960s when researchers from the Institute of Topography and Geodesy at the University of Pisa took annual measurements to check the inclination of the tower.