On this day, the Italian government announced that it was ready to accept suggestions on how to save the renowned Leaning Tower of Pisa from collapse after experts declared that it was in serious danger of toppling in an earthquake or a storm. Proposals poured in from all over the world, and a number of experiments were carried out, but they all failed, and in 1990 the Tower was closed to the public. It was not until 1999 with the introduction of a process of gradual soil extraction from under the north side of the tower, that positive results began to be seen and in 2001 the Tower was once again opened to the public. It is believed that the 18 inch reduction in the lean will give the Tower another 300 years of life.
