# Wonders of the world **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 13, 2000, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonders-of-the-world/33088 "2000-09-13T22:14:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TrayJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e68b1a/32.png) [@TrayJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TrayJay)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2000, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonders-of-the-world/33088/1 "2000-09-13T22:14:43Z")
I have been looking around to find the 7 wonders of the world only to find that there are different era’s of this wonders. For example, there are the “ancient 7 wonders” “modern 7 wonders” and who knows what others. Why can there only be 7? If it is a wonder, why not just keep adding to the list? Furthermore how does something get the prestigious title of “wonder?” ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2000, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonders-of-the-world/33088/2 "2000-09-13T22:46:00Z")
Just a WAG but I’d say there are different categories of ‘Wonders’ because something that was a wonder a few millenia ago may not be such a big deal today given modern techniques of manufacture and construction. Someone could probably build the Colossus today and while people might think it’s cool nobody would be blown away by it (see below for elaboration on this point). I guess the requirements for being a wonder (serious WAG here) would be if most people looked at it and said, “No WAY somebody actually did that!” The sort of thing, given the level of technology available at the time, that most would think someone was nuts for even thinking it could be done much less _actually_ do it. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2000, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonders-of-the-world/33088/3 "2000-09-13T23:12:57Z")
It started out with the [Seven Wonders of the World:](http://ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos/wonders/) The Great Pyramid of Giza The Hanging Gardens of Babylon The Statue of Zeus at Olympia The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus The Colossus of Rhodes The Lighthouse at Alexandria Only the Great Pyramid still exitst. The list was finalized in the Middle Ages. People came along later and decided they needed other, more modern wonders. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2000, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonders-of-the-world/33088/4 "2000-09-13T23:27:11Z")
Think of the Seven Wonders of the World as an ancient travel guide. The first writer thought that seven was a good number. Besides, stopping at seven let’s us pick weird things for the title of “Eighth Wonder of the World” including the Empire State Building and the Houston Astrodome. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2000, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonders-of-the-world/33088/5 "2000-09-14T00:48:41Z")
Or, if you’re in the WWF, the Ninth Wonder of the World, Chyna. I think they gave the Eighth Wonder title to Andre the Giant. ---
**Author:** ![Phobos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Phobos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phobos)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2000, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wonders-of-the-world/33088/6 "2000-09-14T13:45:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TrayJay \* > \*\*Why can there only be 7? \*\* The number 7 has long had a mystical/numerological significance for people. No basis on reality, but it’s a tradition. 7 wonders 7 deadly sins 7 heavens 7 days of the week 7 special celestial objects (Mercury thru Saturn plus sun & moon) (this may be the primary basis for the tradition since ancient cultures based a lot on the night sky) etc. etc. (Carl Sagan’s “Pale Blue Dot” had a more complete list)