Nikita Khruschev allegedly said once, “Well, comrades, shall we stick a needle into the capitalists?” And they did: the tower, whose first reinforced concrete foundation blocks were laid on September 27, became the world's tallest structure, though not for long. It is believed that the chief designer Nikolai Nikitin came up with the image of the tower overnight – an inverted lily, a flower with a strong stem and dense petals.
The world record in height has moved to Asia, but the Ostankino Tower is still the tallest in Europe. Not bad either!
