Original photo by f11photo/ Shutterstock
Next time you find yourself arriving at Grand Central Terminal, feel free to inform the person sitting next to you that the architectural landmark is radioactive — and, once their expression changes, be sure to also tell them that it’s only by a harmless amount. Located in midtown Manhattan, New York’s most-beloved transportation hub (sorry, not sorry, Penn Station) was built between 1903 and 1913 out of granite, which contains higher levels of uranium than most other stones. Still, the levels aren’t all that high: The average person is exposed to 360 millirems of radiation per year, 300 of which come from natural sources, and Grand Central employees would absorb about 120 mrem at work over the course of a year.
Oops, incorrect!
It's a fibClose, but not quite — Penn Station, located just over a mile away from Grand Central, is the busiest train station not just in the country but in all of North America.
The building is also hardly alone in being radioactive. The U.S. Capitol, which is also made of granite, contains so much radiation that it would fail the safety standards required to be licensed as a nuclear power plant. (Fret not — your favorite member of Congress isn’t at risk.) When it comes to snacks, Brazil nuts have the dubious honor of being 1,000 times more radioactive than most other foods; luckily for anyone who picks them out of cans of mixed nuts, you’d have to eat about 50 every day to notice any ill effects.
Numbers Don't Lie
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Grand Central Terminal was designed in the ______ architectural style.
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Grand Central Terminal was designed in the beaux arts architectural style.
The world’s largest high-speed railway station is in China.
Though it isn’t the busiest train station in the world — that would be Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station, which serves 3.5 million passengers every day — China’s Chongqing East Station is the world’s largest high-speed railway station by area, at more than 13 million square feet. That’s five times the size of Grand Central. Opened in 2025, it features 15 platforms and 29 tracks, with both local and chain restaurants and shops to keep you busy while you wait.
Michael Nordine is a writer and editor living in Denver. A native Angeleno, he has two cats and wishes he had more.
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