History & Origins
The CN Tower in Toronto, Canada was built in 1976 to solve a big TV problem — tall buildings were blocking TV signals, so they needed something super tall to broadcast from!
CN Tower (Canada) - Facts for Kids
Did you know?
Search name of person, animal, place, thing, etc.
Share
Facts About CN Tower (Canada) For Kids
The CN Tower’s name comes from its original owner, Canadian National Railway, who wanted to show how amazing Canadian engineering could be!
The CN Tower took 1,537 days (about 40 months) to build, with construction workers braving heights and weather to complete this amazing structure!
The CN Tower’s foundation is as deep as 10 swimming pools stacked on top of each other — it goes 15 meters (49 feet) into the ground!
During construction of the CN Tower, a huge Sikorsky helicopter nicknamed “Olga” helped lift the massive antenna to the top!
The CN Tower in Toronto was the tallest free-standing structure in the world from 1975 (when it topped out) until 2007, making that a reign of about 32 years.
On June 26 1976, the CN Tower opened to the public for the first time and drew thousands of visitors eager to see it.
The CN Tower’s construction team used special climbing cranes that could “climb” up the tower as it got taller — like a mechanical spider!
The CN Tower’s construction involved 1,537 workers and went on for about 40 months, with crews working in shifts around the clock, five days a week.
During construction, the CN Tower grew by about 6 meters (20 feet) every day — that’s taller than a giraffe!
Architecture & Design
The CN Tower is 553.3 meters (1,815 feet) tall — that’s like stacking about 158 school buses on top of each other!
The CN Tower’s upper “pod” section (known as the Space Deck or Sky Pod) weighed roughly 318 tonnes when it was lifted into place — that’s heavier than an empty Boeing 747-400
The CN Tower used about 40,500 to 45,000 cubic metres of concrete during construction.
The CN Tower’s glass floor is so strong it can hold 14 large hippos without breaking!
The CN Tower has 2,579 stairs from bottom to top!
The CN Tower avoids the red and white paint on its main concrete structure, which is common for tall structures, by using advanced, high-intensity lighting.
The CN Tower’s elevator is one of the fastest in North America, traveling at 22 kilometers (15 miles) per hour!
The CN Tower’s observation deck gives visitors a view of up to 160 kilometers (100 miles) away on a clear day!
The CN Tower uses special tuned mass dampers (giant weights) to stop it from swaying too much in the wind!
The CN Tower’s revolving restaurant makes a complete turn every 72 minutes — just like a giant spinning top!
Fun Numbers & Measurements
The public staircase in the CN Tower has 1,776 steps and leads up to the main observation level (often referred to as the LookOut Level and the Glass Floor).
The CN Tower’s glass floor is sitting 342 m (1,122 ft) above the ground!
The CN Tower weighs around 117,910 tonnes — that’s like 23,214 large elephants stacked together!
The CN Tower can handle winds of up to 322 kilometers (200 miles) per hour!
Interesting Features
The CN Tower’s glass floor was the first of its kind in the world when it opened in 1994!
The CN Tower has special LED lights that can create 16.7 million different colours!
The CN Tower’s EdgeWalk lets brave visitors walk around the outside of the main pod — it’s the highest external walk on a building!
The CN Tower has a special time capsule hidden inside that won’t be opened until 2076–100 years after it was built!
The CN Tower changes its lights for special occasions.
Fun & Unique Facts
The CN Tower is featured in countless movies and TV shows, making it a Hollywood star!
The CN Tower is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers!
Sources:
Explore More
Download Worksheet
📝