A Brief History
On May 25, 1968, the Gateway Arch across the Mississippi River at St. Louis was dedicated, after 2 ½ years of construction and a year after it was “inaugurated.” Towering 630 feet tall, the arch also spans 630 feet wide, providing St. Louis with a majestic reminder of its role as the “Gateway to the West.”
Digging Deeper
While we have the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and Seven Wonders of the Modern World, today we take a look at two projects we believe are worthy of wonder that have been made since 1960:
First, the LASER, invented by Theodore Maiman in 1960, focusing light to serve us in so many ways, from delicate surgery to metal cutting and etching, to allowing for devices such as CDs, DVDs, and the like to work. Lasers also make great aiming and guidance systems for weapons and are valuable classroom tools for pointing. Lasers also make wonderful toys for your pet cat to chase!
Secondly, LED lights, adapted for practical use in 1962, are “light-emitting diodes” based on semi-conductors that produce light when electricity is passed through them. LEDs are used in remote controls, household and industrial lighting including motor vehicles, horticulture, small portable lights, and even medical applications. Emitting much more light for their size and power consumption than incandescent lights while being more robust and lasting longer, LEDs are a modern energy saving wonder.
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: What other modern wonders since 1960 would you mention here?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Hecht, Jeff. Understanding Lasers: An Entry-Level Guide. Wiley-IEEE Press, 2018.
Merkel, Jim. The Making of an Icon: The Dreamers, the Schemers, and the Hard Hats Who Built the Gateway Arch. Reedy Press, 2018.
The featured image in this article, a postcard of St. Louis, Missouri, is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1930.
You can also watch video versions of this article on YouTube.
