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How much does the leaning tower of Pisa lean?

At 184.5 feet (56 meters) tall, the leaning tower of Pisa located in Italy is about 17 feet (5 meters) out of perpendicular and increasing by about 0.2 inches (1.25 millimeters) a year. Construction on the Romanesque-style tower was started by Bonanno Pisano in 1173. It was originally intended to be a bell tower for the nearby church. The tower was not completed until 1372.

Built entirely of white marble, with eight tiers of arched arcades, the tower began to lean during construction. Although the builders dug the foundation down to 10 feet (3 meters), they did not reach bedrock (which is necessary for a firm footing). Ingenious attempts were made to compensate for the tilt by straightening up the subsequent stories and making the pillars higher on the south side than on the north. During the 1960s, cement was added to the foundation to strengthen it. However,...

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