Interesting Facts about Lighthouses

beavertaillight.org – Lighthouses attract the attention of sailors and people who have no place to live on land. There are always interesting stories wherever the saving lighthouse is located. Plus, the variety of lighthouse architectures…square, round, conical, rectangular, and even octagonal…and their colors give each lighthouse its character. However, even though they are interesting, we tend to take them for granted.

Here are some interesting facts about this amazing structure that has been around for thousands of years. It’s amazing that with all the technology we have as sailors today, we still rely on these signals. Even during the day, these signals provide useful visual markers to guide you on your journey slot777.

First Known Lighthouse

The first we know of is actually one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, which is also known as the Pharos of Alexandria because it stands on the island of Pharos in the city’s harbor. The lighthouse was built and began construction during the reign of the first Ptolemy (Ptolemy I Soter). In 305 BC, after Alexander the Great died, he declared himself king and ordered the construction of the lighthouse.

Completed during the reign of his son, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, it took 12 years and 800 talents of silver to build. This amount was equivalent to 1/10 of the total state budget at that time and almost double the cost of building the Parthenon in Rome.

The tower is made mostly of solid blocks of limestone and granite and its light is produced by a furnace at the top. At approximately 350 feet high, this monument is one of the tallest buildings in the world. Frequent earthquakes finally reduced it to rubble in the 14th century. However, this tower still stands today because it serves as a basic example of all other lighthouses.

The Oldest Existing Lighthouse

In the 1st century AD, the Romans built Farum Brigantium, now known as the Tower of Hercules and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Surprisingly, the lighthouse remains operational and guides sailors from its place in the port of La Coruña in northwestern Spain. Restoration of the tower in the 18th century preserved the core of the original structure and enhanced its function.

The oldest surviving lighthouse (never rebuilt) in the US is at Sandy Hook, NJ. The lighthouse, built in 1764, is still operational. Part of the budget for the lighthouse was paid for by lottery ticket sales and part by shipping companies in New York City.

The “tropics” are defined based on the sun’s geographic relationship to the Earth. The Solstice is the northernmost point where the sun is directly overhead at noon during the northern hemisphere’s summer solstice in June. The South Solstice is where the sun is directly overhead during the winter solstice in December. The South Line is located 23.5° north and south of the equator.