This day in history: Construction of the Leaning Tower of Pisa began on this day in 1173. It took two centuries for it to be completed. The fact that it leans was not part of the original planning.
The tower began to lean during construction in the 12th century, due to soft ground which could not properly support the structure's weight. It worsened through the completion of construction in the 14th century. By 1990, the tilt had reached 5.5 degrees. The structure was stabilized by remedial work between 1993 and 2001, which reduced the tilt to 3.97 degrees.
Despite the lean, the tower survived four earthquakes.
Italian scientist Galileo Galilei famously used the tower to demonstrate that objects fall at the same acceleration independent of their masses.
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