Think You Know Size? Check Out These 8+ Surprising Examples

1. No water in Hoover Dam

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Found in: Colorado River Est., Black Canyon. Cost: $760 million to build, inflation adjusted. Occasionally, you have to see something from a different perspective in order to truly appreciate its size. This is the rear of the Hoover Dam, unobscured by water to reveal its actual dimensions. The dam represents one of the greatest engineering achievements in history. Hoover Dam Dry Situated in Colorado's Black Canyon, the Hoover Dam was constructed in the 1930s. With walls as thick as 660 feet at its base, the concrete building is 1,244 feet long and 726 feet high. Even at the summit, the walls remain a remarkable 45 feet thick.

2. The Offshore Platform Sleipner

Found in: Eastern Norway. Price: $1 billion * Sleipner is an oil and gas-producing offshore platform off the coast of Norway. It descends more than 269 feet below the surface, where the seabed supports it. Sleipner East was demonstrated in 1981, while West was proven in the 1970s. Sleipner, an offshore platform from Although it's not the biggest platform globally, it's quite close. Unfortunately, the most well-known aspect of this platform is its catastrophic collapse due to a critical fault brought on by a design flaw. Fortunately, this occurrence resulted in no injuries.

3. Children vs. a Huge Machine

Found in: Kansas Est., West Mineral. Building costs: $66.08 million (inflation adjusted) Any parent who sees this image will undoubtedly feel a little uneasy. Anyone would get nervous just looking at these two children in the teeth of such a big, terrifying machine, but it also makes for an awesome picture. Kids vs. a Giant Machine At 160 feet in height, this device is called Big Brutus and is the biggest electric shovel in the world. His job, which he hasn't done since 1974, is to dig rock and soil out of coal seams in strip mines. He weighs eleven million pounds.