Skyscrapers seem like a very new idea, but in fact the first one was built in 1884 in Chicago. It had nine floors. As skyscrapers have many floors, their owners can get more rent, so they are built where land is very expensive, as in New York City. In 1931, the Empire State Building in New York was finished. It was the tallest building in the world until 1970, with 102 stories. Then the World Trade Center with 110 floors was built in Chicago. It also has 110 floors, but it is higher then the World Trade Center. The tallest building in Bangkok -Baiyoke II- is only 90 stories high.
Sometimes too many skyscrapers are built, so there are not enough people to rent all their floors. this has happened in Bangkok in recent years. Banks wasted a lot of money on loans to build these beautiful, empty buildings.