The 7 wonders of the modern world: monuments of the twentieth century

This list highlights seven major innovations and projects in the 1900s, which are evidence of human evolution.

While the pyramid of Kheops is the only still standing monument among the 7 wonders of the ancient world , Organization of American Civil Engineers, American Society of Civil Engineers , provided the list of the seven most impressive modern structures built over the past 100 years.

Airports, dams, highways, bridges, railways, skyscrapers or shipping are inventions that have made unprecedented changes in society. The ASCE thus gives prices to certain constructions that are worth being supported. Without further delay, let us discover the 7 wonders of the modern world according to them.

1. The Channel Tunnel (France and United Kingdom)

The Eurotunnel is a railway crossing, inaugurated in 1994, linking the United Kingdom and the north of France. Its particularity is that it passes under the sea (the Channel) on a stretch of 38 km, knowing that it makes about fifty in total, it is a record. The crossing lasts about 35 minutes and the shuttle service allows to transport passengers as much as their vehicles (cars and even buses).

2. CN Tower in Toronto, Canada

This tower is located in the center of Toronto (in Canada) and is more than 553 metres high. It has become the emblem of the city: it has at its top a broadcasting antenna that allows to restore the problems of the radio waves. Indeed, with the massive building construction, there were problems of interference, this tower was developed in 1976 to solve this problem. But it is now also a great tourist attraction with restaurants, a platform of observation, and a transparent floor.

3. The Empire State Building in New York (United States)

L’ Empire State Building is a skyscraper located in the Manhattan borough New York . It was inaugurated in 1931: it is the third largest building in New York (after One World Trade Center and 432 Park Avenue). With its 102 floors and 443 meters high by counting the antenna, the building is present in many cinema scenes, whether in series ( How I Met Your Mother in particular) or films ( King Kong for example).

4. Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, United States

Golden Gate Bridge “the bridge of the golden door” ) is a suspended bridge from California. Its construction lasted four years and was completed in 1937. It allows to reach the city of San Francisco with the municipality of Sausalito. Its famous orange color and its unusual architecture is the fourth place in the classification of modern wonders in the world.

5. The Bar of Itaipu (Brazil and Paraguay)

The Itaipu dam is located on the border of Brazil and Paraguay. It was commissioned in 1984 and has an area of 1350 km2. This hydroelectric power plant is the second largest in the world in power: in 2008, it was able to meet 90% of Paraguayan electricity demand and 19% of Brazilian consumption, which is considerable.

6. Delta Plan (Netherlands)

The Delta Plan represents the largest water defence system in the world, located off the coast of the Netherlands. In particular, it is used against sea floods through the closure of certain sea entrances, dikes, and fences that prevent water from entering the territory. Every 10 years, the facilities must be renovated to conform to the changes.

7. The Panama Canal

Panama’s marine canal connects the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Its construction, completed in 1914, was one of the most difficult engineering projects (disease problems, landslides). It is a great innovation in trade, because boats were no longer obliged to make a detour of several thousand kilometers to arrive at good port. It is a strategic crossing point in navigation.

Main photo credit: Wikimedia – David Ball