The Engineering Mystery of Florence Cathedral

For over a century, the Florence Cathedral stood unfinished because no one knew how to build a dome that massive. Filippo Brunelleschi finally solved it by inventing a new way to stack bricks that defied gravity.

When construction began in 1296, the planned dome was so wide that traditional wooden scaffolding could not support its weight. Architects were stumped for decades until Brunelleschi designed a unique herringbone brick pattern that interlocked to hold itself up during construction. He even invented heavy-duty hoists to lift the heavy materials to such dizzying heights. Today, this architectural marvel remains the largest masonry dome ever built in history.