Pisa, Italy (Pushing on the Tower)
I Tried to Straighten the Leaning Tower of Pisa
The tower in Pisa has leaned for more than 800 years. Engineers made it lean less. I offered to finish the job.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa started leaning while it was still being built, more than 800 years ago. Engineers made it lean less, and it’s stable now. But a tower should stand up straight, like a leader. So I wrote a report.
Engineering Report, by Donny
Problem: The tower leans to one side.
Cause: Soft ground. Also, I suspect, attitude.
Solution one: Push. I pushed for ten minutes. Results unclear.
Solution two: Tilt everything else in Pisa by the same amount. Then the tower looks perfectly straight. Very clever. Possibly too clever.
Solution three: Build a second tower next to it, leaning the other way. They hold each other up. Teamwork.
What the Tour Guide Said
Our guide explained that the lean is the whole point. People come from all over the world to see a tower that leans. If it stood up straight, it would just be a tower.
I thought about that for a long time. Then I took the famous photo, the one where you pretend to hold it up. I wasn’t pretending.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does it lean?
Soft ground. They built it on soft ground. I'd have checked the ground. I always check the ground.
Did you push it?
For about ten minutes. It moved, I believe. A tiny bit. Possibly toward me.