Here are some facts for this day. You are welcome to log your interesting, quirky or fun fact/s with your log.
On This Day - January 7th
World History
1990 - The Leaning Tower of Pisa is closed to the public amidst fears that its lean has become too dangerous.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the bell tower, or campanile, of the cathedral in Pisa's Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles). The tower took nearly 200 years to complete, being finished in 1372. It began leaning shortly after its construction began, on 9 August 1173. The tower was in serious danger of toppling completely by 1964, when the Italian government sought aid and advice in preserving its famous icon.
Following decades of consultation and preparatory efforts, the tower was closed to the public on 7 January 1990. Its lean was 4.9 metres off the perpendicular; in the preceding century, the belfry atop the tower had moved as much as almost 25cm. The Tower remained closed until December 2001 while corrective reconstruction and stabilisation work was implemented. The excessive lean of the tower was corrected by removing 38 cubic metres of soil from underneath the raised end: it is expected to remain stable for another 300 years.