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The Leaning Tower of Pisa

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  Location: Pisa, Italy (Continent of Europe)
• Built by: There is little record of who built the tower, but a wealthy local widow (a woman whose husband has died) donated 60 silver coins in her Will (a document the person leaves after they die to tell others what to do with their stuff and money) to the church, and the following year construction started
• Date built: (About 849 years ago) Construction of the Tower of Pisa began in 1173, and the tower competition was in 1399 (there were many civil wars, and they had to stop building many times).
• How long to build: In total, it took about 226 years to complete
• Size: Original height: 197 ft (60 m) & today, the tallest side is 187 ft (57 m) & the lower side is 184 ft (56 m)
• Weight: About 14,600 tonnes
• It is the freestanding bell tower of the Cathedral of Pisa (church).
• The tower has about 294 steps to get to the top.
• At the top of the tower, there are seven bells. Each bell makes a musical note that is on the Major scale. The bells do not ring anymore because they may cause more damage to the tower.
• Known worldwide for its nearly four-degree lean, resulting from an unstable foundation. The land was very marshy (too much water in the grass), which caused an unstable foundation.
• Galileo (a famous scientist who was an astronomer, physicist, and engineer) was baptized (to be blessed by God) in the baptistery (a small building outside the church) in 1565.
• Engineers have improved the tower over the years to help save it. They say it will be stable for about 200 years unless there is some kind of natural disaster like an earthquake.