Modern Wonders of the World
Predictably enough, there’s also more than one list of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. The “wonder” may be in why we stick to lists of seven anyway if people are going to get upset.
Again, the first seven below are the ones most accepted, followed by no fewer than 13 additions, and since “modern” is a relative term and people keep building amazing new things, this list is bound to keep on growing.
W ~ O ~ W
The Channel Tunnel, popularly nicknamed “the Chunnel”, is a 50-kilometre-long rail tunnel beneath the English Channel at the Straits of Dover, connecting Cheriton in Kent, England, and Sangatte in northern France. The Google Earth image shows Dover, England.
A long-standing and hugely expensive project that saw several false starts, it was finally completed in 1994.
It is the second-longest rail tunnel in the world, surpassed only by the Seikan Tunnel in Japan. It is operated by Eurotunnel Plc.
At 553.33 metres (1,815.39 feet), the CN (Canadian National) Tower is the world’s tallest free-standing structure on land. It’s considered the signature icon of Toronto, attracting more than two million visitors annually.
Built in 1976 by Canadian National Railway to demonstrate the strength of Canadian industry, the tower was originally designed as a radio and television transmitting antenna. There are microwave receivers for distant signals at about 305 metres, and the top of the transmission antenna is at the apex of the tower.
Metal staircases with 1,776 steps reach the Skypod level at 447m – the tallest metal staircase on earth.
The Empire State Building, a 102-storey Art Deco building in New York City, was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon Associates and built in 1930.
The tower takes its name from the nickname of New York State. The building also belongs to the World Federation of Great Towers.
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening into the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. It’s 1.22 miles (1,970 metres) long, with towers soaring 230m above the water.
The bridge was the brainchild of Joseph Strauss, who spent more than a decade drumming up support. Architect Irving Morrow was responsible for the Art Deco touches and the choice of colour, and engineer Charles Alton Ellis and bridge designer Leon Moisseiff collaborated on the complicated mathematics.
Itaipu is a dam that includes the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world. It is situated along the Paraná River.
The first generators started running in 1984 and the final in ‘91. It has the largest generating capacity and produces the most electricity, but that will be surpassed by China’s Three Gorges Dam.
The name is derived from the Tupi Guarani language and means “singing stones”.
The Delta Works: In the North Sea Flood of 1953, a break in the dikes and seawalls in the Netherlands killed 1,835 people and forced the evacuation of 70,000 more.
Ten thousand animals drowned, and 4,500 buildings were destroyed. To prevent such a tragedy from happening again, an ambitious flood defence system was conceived and deployed, called the Delta Works.
The Panama Canal is 51 miles (82 kilometres) long, with steel gates of the triple locks at Gatún at the Atlantic end that are 21m high and weigh 745 tons each, but are so well-counterbalanced that a 30 kW (40-horsepower) engine suffices to open and close them.
The Pacific end of the canal is 24 cm higher than the Atlantic end and has much greater tides.
W ~ O ~ W
And now for the Emergency Back-up Modern Wonders of the World.
The Clock Tower, with the actual clock that’s called Big Ben, in London
The Eiffel Tower in Paris, seen from below here, and above at the top of the post
Empire State Building in New York City
Gateway Arch in St Louis, Missouri
High Dam in Aswan, Egypt
Hoover Dam on the Arizona-Nevada border
Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota
The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The Statue of Cristo Redentor in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The Statue of Liberty in New York City
The Suez Canal in Egypt
The Sydney Opera House in Australia
@ @ @
If you’re still wondering:
* Ancient Wonders
* Mediaeval Wonders
* Natural Wonders
* Underwater Wonders
* Forgotten Wonders
* Endangered Wonders
* “New” Wonders
Awsome pictures and information. Great job Paul.
Thanks, Lydia. Have you been keeping track of which ones you’ve seen or would like to?
Well, I’ve seen Niagara Falls and the CN Tower. In fact, we were in TO when the tower was being constructed and Stephen took a picture of it near the base, looking up, and it wasn’t nearly as high then as it finally was. Niagara Falls doesn’t impress me any more, seeing it so often growing up and later. I remember climbing inside the Brock Monument’s spiral staircase, which is now closed to the public. Living in Southern Ontario, those “Wonders” or even Historic sites seemed part of the landscape and not so nearly as interesting as the ones far away.
All the places and things you’ve shown are things of great interest, (barring the 2 I mentioned), and I’d love to visit them and other places but, sigh, I probably won’t so I thank you for being my tour guide.