In 1378, one election led to two popes
'Lifehouse' is an unfinished sci-fi rock opera by English rockers The Who.
On April 26, 1986, reactor 4 of the Chernobyl power plant exploded, resulting in the world's worst nuclear accident to date.
Located on Calton Hill in Edinburgh, the monument was supposed to be a memorial to those who died fighting in the Napoleonic Wars.
Work started in 1882, but the Sagrada Família basilica remains incomplete to this day. It is, however, planned to be finished in 2026.
The unfinished Roman Catholic basilica is one of Barcelona's landmarks. Designed by architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), the Sagrada Família is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Construction of the monument started in 1826, but stopped in 1929 due to lack of funds.
Sources: (Mental Floss) (English Live)
See also: The biggest engineering mistakes of all time.
Several writers tried to conclude Dickens' novel. One publisher, called T.P. James, even claimed to have done it by channeling Charles Dickens' spirit!
The Who were no strangers to rock operas. They had already done 'Tommy' in 1969. 'Lifehouse' was supposed to be a follow-up, but instead of going ahead with the project the band focused on their next album, ‘Who’s Next.’
'The Canterbury Tales' is a collection of 24 stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400.
The Cincinnati Subway is the largest abandoned subway tunnel system in the United States.
'Sanditon' is an unfinished novel by English writer Jane Austen. She stopped working on the book in March 1817, shortly before her death.
The Cincinnati Subway construction began in the early 1900s, but was never completed due to lack of funds.
Shoumatoff started working on the painting on April 12, 1945, at around noon.
You're probably familiar with this portrait of the first President of the United States, George Washington.
The unfinished portrait was painted by Gilbert Stuart in 1796 and depicts the President at age 65.
The portrait was used in postage stamps, and most famously on the United States one-dollar bill.
Boldt Castle is an unfinished castle, located near Alexandria Bay, New York, in the Thousand Islands.
George C. Boldt began its construction in 1900 as a tribute to his wife, Louise. But his wife died a few months before the completion of the castle. Boldt stopped construction immediately.
At the time, two new reactors were actually being built. Construction work of reactors 5 and 6 didn't stop until the morning after the disaster!
It wasn't until 1989 that the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union decided to officially abandon the construction of the new reactors.
No surprise: it was meant to be a replica of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece.
President Roosevelt complained of a headache a few hours later. He eventually had a stroke and died later that day.
The portrait was commissioned to painter Elizabeth Shoumatoff in 1945.
The book was eventually published over a century later, and numerous adaptations and continuations of her novel have been made.
The same goes for Charles Dickinson's last novel. The author died on June 9, 1870, leaving the novel unfinished, with only six of a planned 12 installments published.
Director Alejandro Jodorowsky failed to complete a film adaptation of Frank Herbert's 1965 science fiction novel 'Dune' in the 1970s. But the project was so huge and surreal that a documentary was even made about it in 2013 (titled 'Jodorowsky's Dune').
The film was supposed to be over 10-hours long, and the cast would include Salvador Dali, Mick Jagger, and Orson Welles. The soundtrack would have been written by Pink Floyd.
David Lynch eventually filmed 'Dune' in 1984, but the movie was not as grand and bizarre as Jodorowsky had envisioned it to be.
The tales are told by a group of pilgrims who travel from London to Canterbury. But Geoffrey Chaucer never really finished his work before he died.
There have been many unfinished projects throughout history. In fact, some of these projects became famous exactly because they were left incomplete. From lack of budget to death, there have been many reasons as to why books, movies, and engineering projects, among others, have been left unfinished.
In this gallery we look back in history to some of the most amazing unfinished projects. Click through to find out more about them.
Fascinating projects left unfinished
From movies to monuments
LIFESTYLE Curiosity
There have been many unfinished projects throughout history. In fact, some of these projects became famous exactly because they were left incomplete. From lack of budget to death, there have been many reasons as to why books, movies, and engineering projects, among others, have been left unfinished.
In this gallery we look back in history to some of the most amazing unfinished projects. Click through to find out more about them.