Wonders of the World

The wonders of the world, well where do I begin, countries all over the world are unique with their own marvels. Do I begin with the Ancient wonders of the world like the Pyramids of Giza or the modern wonders like the Burj Kalifa which currently holds the record for the highest building in the World. I think it would be appropriate to begin with the marvels our ancient ancestors built.

Usually when people think ancient wonders of the world they think of the Pyramids of Egypt, but since nearly everyone knows of its existence, probably because it's the only one still standing, I'll start with the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria. The Lighthouse of Alexandria was a tower built on the Island of Pharos in Egypt between 280 and 247 BC for the purpose of guiding sailors into the port. With a height of around 120m it was one of the tallest man-made structures on Earth for centuries. Unfortunately it was badly damaged by three earthquakes and became an abandoned ruin. There is no photographic evidence of the lighthouse but I'd say it would have been a sight to see. To reach a height of 120m in those days with no modern building equipment simply amazes me, no wonder it took 12 years to build! I will now take you to Greece to a famous statue, the Colossus of Rhodes. The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue of the Greek Titan Helios, erected in the city of Rhodes by Chares of Lindos between 292 and 280 BC. It was constructed to celebrate Rhodes victory over the ruler of Cyprus, before its destruction in an earthquake it stood over 30 meters high, making it one of the tallest statues of the ancient world. There are various disputes on how the Statue was built but nonetheless it was some feat of Engineering for that time and amazes architects to this day. There is various theories on what happened to the ruins of the statue but rumoured it was sold to a Jewish man who brought it back to his house on 900 camels.

Now enough of Ancient wonders, time to move on a few hundred years to more modern ones. Since its construction in the 2008 Beijing Olympics this particular piece of architecture has intrigued me, I am of course talking about the Birds Nest Stadium. The stadium was built for the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. It was designed by architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron. Architects from all over the world are allured to China because of the endless possibilities and the people's openness to adventurous projects. In order to create something unique, the architects had to put a lot of thought into the stadium. Two independent structures, a red concrete seating area, shaped as a bowl and the outer steel frame form this extravagant structure. Called "The Bird's Nest" because of its appearance, but also as a compliment, In China, a bird's nest is very expensive, something you eat on special occasions. The whole outlook of the stadium simply amazes me and I hope one day to visit this magnificent structure.

I think this item deserves a spot on this essay as one of the most influential pieces of engineering in the world, it is not a building or a natural wonder of the world. It is a little piece of technology that was made in the United States and revolutionised the music industry forever. The iPod. My reason for including it is the impact