At 1,092 feet above the ground, the world's brightest continuous human-made source of light was tested for the first time on the morning of April 11, 1956. This was the new beacon system installed atop the Empire State Building at a cost of $250,000 (about $3 million in today's money). The beacons were caught by the camera as they started revolving at 12:30 a.m.
Photo: Bettmann Archive/Corbis/Berlintapete









