Lists of Wonder

People are obsessed with lists. Books, magazines and newspapers are frequently compiling lists of the 100 Greatest Novels of All Time, the 25 Most Important Inventions, or the Top 10 Plants of the Eastern United States. And with every list published, there are people outraged by the results. “Why isn't Atlas Shrugged on the list?”; “How could you not include toilet paper?” “I can't believe you left off Rhododendrons!”

Making lists is certainly not a modern phenomenon. One of the oldest known lists is still among the most popular – the Seven Wonders of the World. Developed over the years by Ancient Greeks, the original list consists of impressive feats of engineering that were considered marvels to behold. Of course, people back then were limited in their travels because they lacked such luxuries as trains, planes, and rolling luggage. Thus, the list didn't include such awe-inspiring monuments as the Great Wall of China and Stonehenge. In that respect, calling the list the “Seven Wonders of the World” is as presumptuous as calling our baseball finals the “World Series.”

But now that travel is so much more widespread, even this venerable list is fodder for critics and people who think they know better. In addition to the usual complaints about what should have made the list, modern list-makers quibble over minor details, such as the fact that six of the Wonders have been destroyed and can no longer be viewed (the Great Pyramid at Giza being the one exception). And to really nitpick, some people complain about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon merely on the grounds that they may not have actually existed. People can be so fussy.

What's often overlooked is how truly impressive it is that these monuments were created without all of the technological advances we have today. What's even more amazing is that, even with all of these technological advances, we're probably less capable now of creating something as wondrous and enduring as the pyramids.

Still, several groups have taken up the task of compiling new and supposedly improved lists. The most notable one, The New 7 Wonders of the World, was announced in 2007 by the New7Wonders Foundation. This list was compiled by the most reputable authority available: the general public. In the same method used for such historic undertakings as voting for American Idol contestants, people around the world called in or voted on the Internet. In essence, instead of an historic list compiled by well-traveled authorities, we get a list selected by random individuals who wanted something to do between searching for naked celebrity pictures and watching videos of kittens on YouTube.

To be fair, the new list does feature some amazing selections, including the Colosseum and Machu Picchu. However, it's still open to debate. For instance, why did the opulent Taj Mahal make the cut and not the mysterious giant statues on Easter Island?

Nonetheless, after that list was completed, the New7Wonders Foundation ran another extensive election in 2011 to choose the New 7 Wonders of Nature – a similarly debatable list that led to some controversy over the election process. Allegedly, as a way of promoting their nominated wonders, some countries were asked to shell out millions of dollars in marketing fees. Ah, money – the root of all evil and the only way to get people to hear about the natural beauty of the Amazon River.

Yet despite these setbacks, the foundation is currently running a new campaign to select the New 7 Wonders Cities – a title that's almost as awkward as the endeavor itself. People around the world can now vote for the seven most wondrous cities, selecting from a stunning list of candidates. How does one choose between the historic, picturesque city of Vienna and the neon-lit nightclub haven of Miami? In its defense, Vienna is home to some really great schnitzel.

Voting is currently being held and results will be unveiled in 2014. And when the list is revealed, the whole world will have something to talk about – specifically, how could so many people be so wrong?