This is the timeline of the three longest human-made spans in the world, all categories, that at least have the strength to carry some persons.
It can be the span of any type of bridge, aerial tramway, power line, structural ceiling or dome etc.
This is perhaps more fair[clarification needed] than a timeline of the records of all time, because the old figures might be incorrect.
Some more rules for this timeline follow as: Only the length of the horizontal projection of the span, that is, the distance that can be measured on a map, counts.
If the present man-made pylons were placed in a flat area, there would be no span, because the lines would touch the ground.
Only with the discovery of electricity and radio communication did people have a reason for tying a wire between two poles, thus creating the simplest form of long spans.
The span of the Pantheon, Rome, is not 43.3 m because there is a hole at the top of 9.1 m, so the span has been reduced with the size of the hole to 34.2 m. The span of any structure is measured in the following way: Place the largest possible imaginary horizontal circular disk under or inside the structure, barely touching any load-bearing pillars or walls, or parts used to stabilize the structure like wires.