Total length244 m
2.8 hundredthsMount Everests
97.2Phone booth heights
6.1 hundredthsCentral Park lengths
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Tower Bridge
London's iconic bascule bridge, often mistaken for London Bridge/Bridges & Tunnels
Tower Bridge was built between 1886 and 1894 to relieve traffic congestion in London while still allowing tall ships to pass up the Thames. Its two bascule (drawbridge) sections can be raised to an angle of 86 degrees in about five minutes. The bridge opens roughly 800 times per year. It is frequently confused with the much plainer London Bridge, which is the next bridge upstream and has zero towers, zero Gothic flourishes, and zero souvenir shops.
Measurements
Total mass11 million kg
220 quadrillionYeast cells
1.1 tenthsAircraft carrier masses
1.7 millionBowling balls
11,000 tonnes
Tower height65 m
16.3High jump bar lengths
65Tuba heights
From river level to the top of the towers
Central span61 m
87.1 millionRed light wavelengths
15.3High jump bar lengths
33.3Dining table lengths
Bascule opening span
Clearance when raised42.5 m
304Sunglasses widths
438Softball diameters
5.31Sailboat lengths
Above the Thames at high tide
High-level walkway height44 m
1,467Bottle caps
178iPad heights
80 millionGreen light wavelengths
Glass-floored walkway between towers
Time to raise bascules300 s
9.5 millionthsEarth years
37.5Toddler attention spans
About 5 minutes to fully raise