Celebrate the CN Tower on June 26: Snapshots in History
On June 26 and beyond, Torontonians and others should take a moment to celebrate the CN Tower, currently the seventh tallest freestanding structure in the world. For over thirty years from 1976 (opening to the public on June 26th of that year) to the completion of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and the Canton Tower in Guangzhou, China, the CN Tower held two records as the world’s tallest freestanding structure and the world’s tallest tower. (View the list of the tallest freestanding structures in the world.)
The CN Tower, built by the Canadian National Railway Company (CNR), stands at 553.33 metres (1,815 feet 5 inches), a dominant icon of the Toronto skyline. 1,537 workers were involved on the construction project over a 40-month period from February 6, 1973 onwards, working five days per week and 24 hours per day. The public opening occurred on June 26, 1976.
Following the privatization of the CNR Company in 1995, the Government of Canada retained ownership of the CN Tower through a federal crown corporation called Canada Lands Company. Henceforth, the CN Tower could also be referred to as the Canadian National Tower or Canada’s National Tower rather than previously referring to the CNR Company itself.
In addition to serving as an entertainment and tourist destination with sightseeing opportunities and the revolving 360 restaurant, the CN Tower serves an important role as a telecommunications conduit for FM radio and television broadcasts, not to mention wireless paging and cellular telephone signals.
View the full collection of Toronto Star photographs about the CN Tower accessible through Toronto Public Library collections.
Consider the following book titles from Toronto Public Library collections:
Or consider the following DVD for borrowing:
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