the world’s landmarks a century ago and today


In the Roaring Twenties, a booming global economy and an optimistic post-First World War atmosphere led to a surge in tourism. This was the first decade that passengers could experience plane travel, although it was a luxury available to the wealthy few. Even so, many people began to embark on vacations at home and overseas, being able to see some of the world’s most famous landmarks up close for the first time. Here’s what they looked like around 100 years ago, compared to today.




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As well as the stunning sculptures that adorn the outside, each depicting a military victory, the insides of the pillars bear the names of French generals who died in battle. Ever since its completion in 1836, the arch has been the site of many important marches, as well as serving as the start point of the Bastille Day Military Parade and the end point of the Tour de France. Today, visitors who climb the 280 stairs to the top will be rewarded with stunning panoramic views across Paris.




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Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.


The Eiffel Tower has become synonymous with Paris. So you might be surprised to learn that when the design was first revealed, many people thought it was ugly. To mark the city’s International Exposition of 1889, a competition was held to design a new monument and the winning idea, created by French engineer Gustave Eiffel, was selected out of more than 100 entries. But many locals thought the building would clash with Paris’ aesthetic and wrote a letter railing against its construction.




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Shown here in 1924, the beautifully symmetrical Taj Mahal is easily India’s most famous landmark. It was built between 1631 and 1648 by emperor Shah Jahan, who wanted to create a monument to his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who had died in childbirth. Constructed from dazzling white marble, which transforms in color depending on the time of day, it’s considered one of the world’s finest examples of Mughal architecture – a mix of Persian, Indian and Islamic design styles.




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Cruise travel was booming in the 1920s, allowing the world’s wealthy elite to access far-flung destinations for the first time. And Egypt, with its many ancient attractions, quickly became popular. Pictured here, a group of American tourists pose with the Great Sphinx of Giza in 1923. This enormous limestone sculpture, measuring 66-feet (20m) tall and 240-feet (73m) long, was built some 4,500 years ago during the reign of Pharaoh Khafre.




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The giant statue, located in the Giza Plateau near the Great Pyramid, was modeled on the mythological creature of a sphinx – a human head on a lion’s body. It wasn’t until the early 19th century that the body was revealed, though, when a Genoese explorer and a team of around 160 men attempted to dig it out. Although their attempts failed, the sphinx was completely excavated by the late 1930s. If you look closely, you’ll see that in the previous photograph, its feet are not visible.




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Overlooking charming Pariser Platz, Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate is steeped in history. Built between 1788 and 1791 and designed to be an entry point into the city, the Neoclassical gateway was topped with a statue known as the “Quadriga” shortly afterwards. Yet the chariot-and-horses statue was stolen by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1806 and only returned after his forced abdication eight years later. Pictured here in 1928, a Graf Zeppelin, the world’s most successful airship, flies over the gate.




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Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.


The Pre-Hispanic city has a number of impressive monuments: the pyramid-shaped El Castillo; the Temple of the Warriors; and the Ball Court, an ancient sports arena. And archaeologists are still making more discoveries today. In 2016, researchers found a smaller pyramid inside El Castillo using imaging technology, cementing the idea that the pyramid was built in a nesting-doll formation. The popular site typically draws in around two million visitors annually.




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Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.


Little more than two decades old when this picture was taken, Tower Bridge was completed in 1894. The 200-foot (61m) high, 800-feet (240m) long bridge was the largest and most complex bascule bridge of its time – a type of bridge with two split sections which can be raised to allow boats to pass through. The bascules were originally powered by steam and took just a minute to rise fully, although they’re now rarely used.




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Its unique construction has proven to be both a blessing and a curse. In 1952, Albert Gunter was driving the number 78 bus across the bridge when the sections began to lift, and he had to accelerate quickly to jump across the bascule. Miraculously, out of all 20 passengers on board, the worst injury was a broken leg. In more recent history, it featured in the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, in which a stunt double of the Queen was carried by helicopter through the bridge.




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Pictured here being greeted by a group of sailors in 1920, Lady Liberty was gifted to America by France in the late 19th century. The brainchild of French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, the towering 305-feet (93m) high statue on Liberty Island was built from hammered copper. She owes her distinctive green hue to sunlight and rain, which caused the once-shiny copper to oxidize.




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Standing on the banks of the River Thames, the Houses of Parliament were built between 1837 and 1860. Yet the building’s legacy goes back much further than that. A royal palace has existed on this spot since the 11th century, where it remained until it was ravaged by fire in 1512. Renowned architect Sir Charles Barry is responsible for the Gothic-Revival design, which includes 1,100 rooms spread across an eight-acre site.




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