Seven New Wonders Backstory

The global vote for the New 7 Wonders of the World announced on July 7, 2007, was as heavily hyped as American Idol or the long-ago "Who Shot J.R." episode of Dallas: A former UNESCO director-general and a panel of six leading architects who created a short list of 21 nominees. Opportunities to submit photos of oneself at one of the finalist sites. Twenty-one finalists. First example of worldwide election. On-line voting. One hundred million people did so. On-line shopping where one could buy memorabilia to show support for one's favorite. I have no idea how many people did that.

The winners, announced in random order ("All are equal," the organizers affirmed) were the Great Wall of China, Petra (Jordan), Chichén Itzá (Mexico), the Statue of Christ Redeemer, (Brazil), the Colosseum (Italy), Machu Picchu (Peru) and the Taj Mahal (India). But you probably know that, because it was all over the place.

As the New Wonders were appearing on every television news show and in every newspaper, I kept wondering, and perhaps you did too, about who started it all -- and why. From the organization's press release:

"In 1999, Bernard Weber (shown above left at the Acropolis in Athens, which was one of the 21 nominees but not a winner) had the vision of reviving the concept of the 7 Wonders of the World. To do so, he founded the non-profit New7Wonders Foundation, which organized this ambitious global campaign to elect the New 7 Wonders of the World. This modern campaign is based on the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, the list compiled by Philon of Byzantium in 200 B.C.

"The ancient list, compiled by one man, was made up of man-made monuments. They were: the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Temple of Artemis, the Statue of Zeus, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus and the Pyramids of Egypt. Today, only the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt remain. Philon’s selection of wonders was essentially a travel guide for fellow Athenians, and its stunning sites were all located around the Mediterranean basin, the then-known world.

"The New7Wonders campaign not only recognizes that our modern world is much larger and more diverse than that known to the Greeks 2,200 years ago. This time, the New 7 Wonders of the World will not have been chosen by one man, but rather by millions of people across the globe—from every single country in the world. The New 7 Wonders are the people’s choices, drawn from a list of finalists that includes
structures from the earliest time that humankind walked upon the earth through the 20th century.

"The New7Wonders campaign is not only the first-ever global vote, but also the only election in which children can take part—a unique exercise in worldwide democracy!

"Structure
"The New7Wonders Foundation, established in 2001, is committed to investing 50% of excess revenue in global good causes related to monument documentation and preservation (the remaining 50% goes to maintaining the Foundation and to future projects). The status as a Swiss-registered foundation guarantees independence and a stated philanthropic aim. New7Wonders has officially contributed to “Presence Switzerland” Swiss government image presentations, such as during the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and as part of the Swiss Pavilion at the 2005 World Expo in Aichi, Japan.

"Two subordinate entities, the NewOpenWorld Foundation and the NewOpenWorld Corporation, support the New7Wonders Foundation in its work. The NewOpenWorld Foundation is responsible for running the New7Wonders campaigns, while the NewOpenWorld Corporation is the commercial licensing arm, enabling New7Wonders to financially support itself to continue its work bringing the people of the world together to celebrate our common heritage."

Much like during the time of the ancients, tourism promotion drums are beating hard to lure visitors to all these sites. Now, the drumbeats are television and print and on-line promotional efforts. It's a natural for travelers. We look at the seven sites and click off how many we have seen. For me, for example, it's three seen (Colisseum, Chichén Itzá, Great Wall) and four to go. What about you? The organization's next effort will be the 7 Natural Wonders. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, the Egyptians seem alternatively miffed and puzzled. Of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, only Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza on the outskirts of Cairo remains. A few columns -- one standing, some fragments on the ground -- are still around from the Temple of Diana (Artemis) near Ephesus in present-day Turkey. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Iraq), the Statue of Zeus at Olympia (Greece), the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (near Bodrum in Turkey), the Colossus of Rhodes (a Mediterranean island off Greece) and the Lighthouse of Alexandria (Egypt) have disappeared. I wonder what will become of the New 7 Wonders in millennia to come.