Happy National Lighthouse Day! A beacon, a warning, and a symbol of hope and home, lighthouses have existed for thousands of years. The earliest known was the Pharos of Alexandria, which stood an estimated 330 feet tall. Built by the ancient Egyptians in the 3rd century BCE, an open fire was lit at its highest part to guide ships into port. Illumination technology advanced over the centuries, culminating in today"s electric versions beaming light that can be seen from over 20 miles away. North Carolina"s Bodie Island Lighthouse, pictured here, was built in 1872 and overlooks a section of ocean once known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Since then, it"s been doing its best to outshine the stars above, as it guides sailors home to safe harbor.
National Lighthouse Day
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
Cecil Brewer Staircase, London
-
The scene of a literary crime
-
Happy Birthday, Eiffel Tower
-
Irohazaka road
-
Evidence of human habitation
-
Angkor, Cambodia
-
Mediterranean red sea stars
-
The Grand Départ: Tour de France begins
-
Vinh Hy Bay, Vietnam
-
Sunlight sets Iceland s Eyjafjallajökull aglow
-
Happy trails for the 21st century
-
Happy birthday, Saguaro National Park
-
Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, East Java, Indonesia
-
Feast of the Donkey
-
Merry and bright
-
Alpine marmots at Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria
-
Groundhog Day arrives—beyond a shadow of a doubt
-
Basking in the glow
-
An endless journey
-
A night on the (ghost) town
-
Up on the glacier
-
Paradise, found
-
Full moon
-
World Children s Day
-
Lunar eclipse
-
Behold the blood moon
-
Rooftops in the walled city of Urbino, Italy
-
Every day is Napping Day for this screech owl
-
The birthplace of a classic Christmas carol
-
Back on the rise