Welcome to Learning English, a daily 30-minute program from the Voice of America.

I'm Katie Weaver.

And I'm Mario Ritter Jr.

This program is designed for English learners, so we speak a little slower,

and we use words and phrases

especially written for people learning English.

On today's program, Jill Robbins,

tells a short history of the skyscraper, then returns with

Annameteo to talk about the condition called ADHD. Katie has a report on new kinds of flowering

plants available this year for gardeners, then superlatives on Lesson of the Day.

But first, skyscrapers were invented in the United States. Two new technological developments

made very tall buildings possible in the late 1800s.

One development was the mechanical elevator. It meant that people would not have to climb many steps

to reach the upper floors of tall buildings. It saved time and effort.

The second was good quality steel

that could carry the heavy load of a tall structure.

These two developments helped make the skyscraper possible.

Many experts consider the home insurance building in Chicago, Illinois,

to be the first skyscraper.

It was completed in 1885 and later increased to a height of 55 meters.

Today, this would not be considered tall, but at the time this height was

striking. What was different about the home insurance building was its structure. It was built

...