Whether you visit the real things or collect miniature versions for the mantle piece, lighthouses are ancient symbols of the seafaring life. They conjure all the heroism, romance, and the physical obstacles associated with the mariners’ world. The following offerings relate a wide array of facts and trivia about lighthouses the world over.

Historians agree that the world’s first important lighthouse was the Pharos at Alexandria, which is also considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. This lighthouse was commissioned by Ptolemy.

Sostratus of Cnidos, an ancient Greek architect, is given credit of designing the Pharos at Alexandria. The Pharos rose more than 450 feet and was topped by a roaring fire to safely guide mariners into the harbor.

The Pharos of Alexandria was destroyed by an earthquake in the fourteenth century. It had stood as a landmark for more than 1,500 years.

Pharos was the name for the ancient Egyptian Island upon which the great lighthouse was built. However, many languages (French, Spanish, Russian, Italian, etc…) use the term pharos as their word for lighthouse.

The oldest lighthouses used fire to aid navigators at sea. Lamps and lenses have also been used to light up safe stretches of coastline.

Ancient Romans were noteworthy lighthouse builders. The famous lighthouse at Aegea was even printed onto Roman coins around 175 BC.

Built around the year 400, the Roman Tower of Hercules is thought to be the world’s oldest functioning lighthouse.

One reason lighthouse building suffered during the Dark Ages was because lights could lure marauders such as Vikings. Primitive lighting such as a candle in a window was sometimes attempted to give sign to an approaching (friendly) vessel.

With few exceptions, the English coast did not construct lighthouses until the 1600s. The British Isles are, today, famous for their off-shore lighthouses. Many of these are perched upon massive outcroppings of stone.

The Capo di Fari is the world’s tallest lighthouse built of bricks (over two hundred feet). It was once patrolled (1449) by Antonio Culumbo, an uncle of Christopher Columbus.

Genoa’s famous lighthouse was built in 1544.

Many lighthouses during the 1500s converted to coal-lit fires that could burn longer and steadier.

Lightning strikes gave lighthouses an ominous reputation during Dark Ages. Priests were frequently asked to lead ceremonies at lighthouses asking for divine protection.

Also, thieves and smugglers might set up wreckers or false lights to lure mariners into dangerous areas where the cargo could be plundered.

Sometimes tending a lighthouse could be as hazardous as navigating a vessel. The Danes used dangerous “swape lights” that actually sported hanging barrels of flaming tar.

Constructed in 1612, the beautiful Cordouan Lighthouse is still in operation on the River Gironde on the French Biscay coast.

The first lighthouse built on the Eddystone Rocks near Plymouth was built in 1696 by Henry Winstanley. Colonial lighthouse builders often braved terrible storms and dangerous seas while constructing towers.

Built during the early 18^{th century, Maryport Lighthouse is Great Britain’s oldest cast iron lighthouse.The American coast boasts many painted lighthouses. Painting was not merely decorative, however. Painting lighthouses made them appear more remarkable to mariners by day. The Cape Hatteras lighthouse famously sports spiral banding.On the Pacific coast, the oldest operating lighthouse is the Point Pinos lighthouse near Monterey.}

Prince Edward’s oldest lighthouse is at Prim Point. It has been in operation since 1846.

Carbine lamps were used to light up lighthouse towers in the early twentieth century.

The 1990s saw the last lighthouse keepers as nearly all towers installed automated systems. Prior to this, lighthouse keepers remained on duty in case of emergencies even though the lighting was fully automated.

Today, U.S. lighthouses and their maintenance are under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Coast Guard.

One of the world’s most novel lighthouse constructions was built by the Japanese in 1998. The Takamatsu lighthouse on the northeast coast of Shikoku is entirely comprised of red glass that reflects light throughout the entire design.

As symbols of safety throughout the ages, many people visit lighthouses today to pay homage to their great history. From inland waterways like the Great Lakes to coasts all over the world, lighthouses have been important beacons of hope to sailors everywhere.

By J. A. Young