What Are the Seven Wonders of the World?

04.10.2024 - 13:15 / cntraveler.com

The Seven Wonders of the World: it’s a group as iconic as The Beatles, as ancient as history itself, and as lore-heavy as a Hinge date from Bushwick who really found themselves in Bali. And while seven may seem like a compact number—as with any great classic—there’s been a slew of reboots and sequels since the original list from the ancient world dropped nearly 2,000 years ago. We compiled our own list earlier this year, and have coined some sites ‘Eighth Wonders’ (including in this fun piece about New Zealand’s pink and white terraces from Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings). Even the so-called original list is likely a remix too, as the oft-cited first version from ancient Greek historian Herodotus exists only in reference, having been long lost since its days on the Museum of Alexandria’s shelves.

Over the millennia, all these variations on the wonders have inspired countless itineraries, TV specials, heritage tours, and bucket lists in their name. But whichever seven you choose to celebrate, perhaps your biggest wonder is: How were the most well-known lists created?

The oldest-known list that tried record the world’s most remarkable man-made creations was the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World list, which was put together by Greek historian Herodotus. This list was compiled between the first and second century BCE and included the Statue of Zeus at Olympia and the Colossus of Rhodes, both of which were destroyed in earthquakes; and the Temple of Artemis, which was destroyed in the 4th century by a Greek man Herostratus (he wanted to become a famous arsonist) and later swept away by the winds of time. The full list also includes the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria, all of which no longer exist. The only remaining monument of the original seven is the Great Pyramid of Giza.

In the 2000s, a Swiss-Canadian man named Bernard Weber wanted to harness the power of the then-newborn internet to find a new set of Seven Wonders. This time though, it wasn’t a solitary mission. Instead, Weber decided to democratize the list by surveying people on the internet, which, in theory, opened up the discourse to the entire world. “For the first time in the history of mankind, a democratic global exercise in the form of a worldwide voting campaign was technically possible,” he says in a letter posted on the official website of the New Seven Wonders. Millions of people cast their votes and a shortlist of 21 man-made creations was compiled. The results were announced on July 7, 2007, with over 100 million votes counted, at a very 2007 ceremony: Aughts icons Hilary Swank and Bipasha Basu were in attendance, and actor Ben Kingsley hosted the event at Lisbon’s Benfica