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What are the Seven Wonders of the Modern World?
Mary Elizabeth
Mary Elizabeth
As a counterpoint to the seven wonders of the Ancient world — feats of architecture and sculpture from Ancient times — the American Society of Civil Engineers created a list of seven wonders of the modern world in 1994. Each structure was chosen based on its function, design, and engineering achievement at the time it was built. In a certain way, these wonders are more diverse, each representing a distinct type of structure: a tunnel, a tower, a skyscraper, a bridge, a dam, a dike, and a canal.
| SEVEN WONDERS OF THE MODERN WORLD | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Type | Location | Dates | Dimensions |
| Channel Tunnel | tunnel | English Channel | 1987-1994 | twin tunnels, 31 mi (50 km) long and 24 ft (7.3 m) in diameter; 130 ft (40 m) below the seabed |
| CN Tower | tower | Toronto, Canada | 1973-1976 | 1815 feet (554 m) high |
| Empire State Building | skyscraper | New York City | 1930-1931 | 1250 feet (381 m) high |
| Golden Gate Bridge | bridge | San Francisco Bay | 1933-1937 | overall length 9,266 ft (2,824 m); 4,200 ft (1,280 m) |
| Itaipu Dam | dam | Brazil/Paraguay border | 1975-1991 | 5 mi (8 km) wide |
| Netherlands North Sea Protection Works | dike | North Sea | 1927-1932; 1957-1981 | 19-mi (31-km) long enclosure dam; 2-mi (3-km) barrier |
| Panama Canal | canal | Panama | 1881-1889; 1904-1914 | 50-mi (80 km) long |
Interesting facts about the seven wonders of the modern world:
- Five have a close connection with bodies of water, whereas only two of the wonders of the Ancient world — the Pharos and the Colossus — do.
- Various wonders of the modern world go through the water, under the water, and over the water.
- Whereas two of the ancient wonders were in Africa, two in Asia Minor, two in Europe, and one in the Middle East; the modern wonders include three in North America, two in Western Europe, and one each in Central and South America.
- The Itaipu Dam is the world’s largest hydroelectric plant.
- When it was built, the Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world. The cables used to hold up the bridge are long enough to circle the globe three times. Although there are many stories as to how often the bridge is painted, since 1995 it has only required touch-up work on areas suffering from environmental corrosion.
- The Channel Tunnel is nicknamed the Chunnel and includes over 300 miles (482.8 km) of cold water piping, designed to offset the heat caused by the speed of the train in the enclosed tunnel.
- The CN Tower in Toronto is the tallest free-standing structure on the planet, and is actually three times taller than Seattle's Space Needle.
- The Empire State Building was the world’s tallest building from 1931 until 1972, when the first tower of the World Trade Center was completed. Though it is not known for this, one of the most impressive things about the Empire State Building is that it took just 13 months to complete, without overtime.
- The American Society of Civil Engineers asked for people around the world to submit nominations for worthy contenders for the seven wonders of the modern world./li
Mary Elizabeth
Mary Elizabeth is passionate about reading, writing, and research, and has a penchant for correcting misinformation on the Internet. In addition to contributing articles to CulturalWorld about art, literature, and music, Mary Elizabeth is a teacher, composer, and author. She has a B.A. from the University of Chicago’s writing program and an M.A. from the University of Vermont, and she has written books, study guides, and teacher materials on language and literature, as well as music composition content for Sibelius Software.
Learn more...
Mary Elizabeth
Mary Elizabeth is passionate about reading, writing, and research, and has a penchant for correcting misinformation on the Internet. In addition to contributing articles to CulturalWorld about art, literature, and music, Mary Elizabeth is a teacher, composer, and author. She has a B.A. from the University of Chicago’s writing program and an M.A. from the University of Vermont, and she has written books, study guides, and teacher materials on language and literature, as well as music composition content for Sibelius Software.
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![Though now surpassed in size by the Three Gorges and Itaipu Dams, the Hoover Dam was considered the world's most impressive dam for half a century.]()
By: William WarbyThough now surpassed in size by the Three Gorges and Itaipu Dams, the Hoover Dam was considered the world's most impressive dam for half a century. -
![Completed in 1937, San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge is one of the seven wonders of the modern world.]()
By: Oleksandr DibrovaCompleted in 1937, San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge is one of the seven wonders of the modern world. -
![The Panama Canal, a 50 mile long waterway, is one of the seven wonders of the modern world.]()
By: 313The Panama Canal, a 50 mile long waterway, is one of the seven wonders of the modern world. -
![The Empire State Building was completed in 13 months.]()
By: rabbit75_fotThe Empire State Building was completed in 13 months. -
![Seattle's Space Needle is only a third the height of CN Tower in Toronto.]()
By: Harry HUSeattle's Space Needle is only a third the height of CN Tower in Toronto.
Discussion Comments
The internet is not a wonder of the modern world? We never had the entire world connected, where folks at home can communicate to literal strangers on the other side of the planet in real time. If this was not included, I have to doubt the accuracy of the votes obtained. Were any voters voting for something that related to their respective country? The internet is global. It is a wonder of the modern civilization.
Yeah, but the Space Needle is cooler looking than the CN Tower.
That was a very good one for us!
Your article on the the Ancient Wonders made a fine companion to this one on the Modern Wonders to save for my reference.
Thanks WiseGeek!
What about the Three Gorges Dam in China? Is it one of the wonders to be included in this modern world?
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