Extraordinary Photos From History Explained

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Age of Progress

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This is a photo of acrobats Jarley Smith, Jewell Waddeck, and Jimmy Kerrigan balancing each other on a ledge of the Empire State Building, with the shorter Chrysler Building gleaming in the background of the Manhattan skyline. The idea for the Empire State Building is said to have been the result of a bet between Walter Chrysler and John Jakob Raskob, to see who could build the taller building. The Chrysler building stood at 1,046 feet, and the Empire State Building stood at 1,454 feet, including the lightning rod.