The history of skyscrapers is the history of American cities, technological ingenuity, and a global boom in urbanization. From West to East, and 5 stories up to 1km high, there’s nowhere to go but up. But how do you get to the top? No one wants to walk up a skyscraper, but inventor Elijah Otis unveils the innovation that breaks the ceiling on skyscrapers.

Find out how the Great Chicago Fire and straight steel help create the first wave of skyscrapers. When steel enters the game, there’s a race to the sky - with the Bank of Manhattan, the Chrysler Building, and the Empire State vying for the top spot in the skyline.

But who’s building these behemoths? Find out who the best beam walkers truly are - and the risks they take to feed the urban machine. Even steel only gets you so far - what does bamboo have to do with the architect who cracks the next height ceiling? It leads to the John Hancock Building, the Willis Tower, and the iconic World Trade Center.

There’s no denying that skyscrapers are a little phallic - but architect Zaha Hadid brings a new perspective to the basic towering block.

Today, there’s no skyscraper more famous than the Burj Khalifa - and one man has seen it up close - how long do you think it takes French Spiderman to climb the latest icon of the East?