OBAMA RE-ELECTED & EMPIRES STATE BUILDING GLOWS

The Empire State building is tonight bathed in blue light as Barack Obama won a second term in office.

Two columns of light, one red and one blue, had been winding their way up the skyscraper in a display put on by CNN.

Each column represented the number of electoral college votes secured by Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. 

But at 11.20 the building was lit completely blue as the channel predicted that the President would serve another four years in office.

Dominating the Midtown skyline of Manhattan, the Empire State Building already celebrates many cultures and causes worldwide with its iconic lighting's and this latest addition is the brainchild of CNN.

The tower changes lights to recognise key milestones such as Christmas Day and Halloween, charitable organisations such as World AIDS Day and even beloved movies such as the Disney's The Lion King.

The tradition began in 1932 when a searchlight shone from the skyscraper to announce the election of New York born Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

To celebrate the nation's Bicentennial in 1976, the building's owners installed coloured lights to illuminate the building at night in red, white and blue - which was the direct descendant of the popular Lighting Partner program that runs to this day.

Soaring 1,454 feet above Midtown Manhattan (from base to antenna), the Empire State Building is the 'World’s Most Famous Office Building.'

The skyscraper’s robust broadcasting technology supports all major television and FM radio stations in the New York metropolitan market.

The Empire State Building was named America’s favorite building in a poll conducted by the American Institute of Architects.

The Empire State Building Observatory is one of the world’s most beloved attractions and is the city's number one tourist destination. 

Indeed, CNN ran a test on 3.30 a.m. last Friday but no one worked out what the skyscraper was doing before today's announcement.

FAMOUS LIGHTING OF EMPIRE STATE

In May 1998 the Empire State was bathed in blue lights to celebrate the life of Frank Sinatra in honour of his nickname 'Ol'Blue Eyes'

After the death of Fay Wray, the star of 1933's legendary King Kong which makes use of the skyscraper in its final scene - the building stood in complete darkness for 15 minutes.

For several months after the destruction of the World Trade Center in 2001, the building was lit in the red, white and blue of the Star Spangled Banner.

On June 4, 2002, the Empire State Building donned purple and gold (the royal colors of Queen Elizabeth II), in thanks for the United Kingdom playing the Star Spangled Banner during the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace on September 12, 2001 which was a show of support after the September 11 Attacks

The building is illuminated in tennis-ball yellow during the US Open tennis tournament in late August and early September

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