Lesson 2A: When Brains Design

In 2007, a big online poll took place. The world was asked to choose its favourite heritage sites from the 21 candidates on the list. The New Seven Wonders of the World were chosen by more than a hundred million people. Can you name them? Be careful not to list the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, because it already has its place among the seven ancient wonders! The ‘modern’ winners were called out at the Benfica stadium in Lisbon. Two wonders in South America made it to the list: the Inca city ruins of Machu Picchu, in Peru, and the gigantic statue of Christ the Redeemer, in Brazil. The Mexicans and their Chichén Itzá, a ruined Mayan city, didn’t miss the opportunity to land on the list, either. And it’s all thanks to a well-organised campaign that was led in Mexico to remind people to vote for their site. England, on the other hand, didn’t do much to encourage people to vote. That may explain why Stonehenge, which was among the 21 candidates, did not make it to the list. The Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and Sydney Opera House, which were among the youngest candidates, didn’t get elected, either. Three Asian sites to get among the chosen seven were the ancient city of Petra in Jordan, the Taj Mahal, a 17th-century mausoleum complex in northern India, and the famous Great Wall of China. Finally, the only European site to be included was the largest amphitheatre ever built: the Colosseum of Rome, in Italy.