This history of skyscrapers examines how these tall buildings affected the cityscape and the people who worked in lived in and visited them. Much of the focus is rightly on the architects who had the vision to design and build America s skyscrapers but attention is also given to the steelworkers who built them the financiers who put up the money and the daredevils who attempt to conquer them in some inexplicable pursuit of fame. The impact of the skyscraper on popular culture particularly film and literature is also explored.