Wonders

of the

World

What makes a Wonder a Wonder?

Have you ever wondered why The Hanging Gardens of Babylon or a man-made structure such as The Channel Tunnel are called Wonders of the World? Why is Victoria Falls classified as a Natural Wonder, but the Great Lakes are not? What classifies a structure as a Wonder? What are the characteristics of these Wonders? Does it have to do with their significance to society or the technology used to build the Wonder and most importantly, why are there Seven Wonders of the World - not 5 or 13?

Taking a closer look at these various Wonders of the World, we came up with some characteristics as to what makes a structure a Wonder and looked even closer at how it was designed and constructed. Our findings are within this Website.

Why is a "Wonder" a Wonder?

• A "wonder" is a wonder because of many things:
• The obstacles that were overcome when building something makes it a wonder. 
• The technology used to build something also makes it a wonder.

Why Seven Wonders?

There is no necessary reason why the number was fixed at seven.  The list of wonders could have easily been set at ten or five.  However, a list of seven is convenient.  Also, the number seven has been considered a sacred or lucky number by many cultures.  The ancient astronomers believed there were seven planets at the time.  They had no knowledge of the planets Uranus, Neptune, or Pluto, but counted the moon as a planet to round our the list.  The Bible is full of groupings of seven: seven days of the week, seven days of Creation, and seven lean years.  There are seven virtues and seven deadly sins.  The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World fit perfectly into the category of seven things.

What Present Day Structures/Events Would be Included as Future Wonders?

• Cloning
• The Space Shuttle
• Time Travel
• Artifical Intelligence