The New 7 Wonders of the World was a campaign started in 2001 to choose Wonders of the World from a selection of 200 existing monuments.[1] The popularity poll via free web-based voting and telephone voting was led by Canadian-Swiss Bernard Weber and organized by the New 7 Wonders Foundation (N7W) based in Zurich, Switzerland, with winners announced on 7 July 2007 at Estádio da Luz in Lisbon.[2][3][4][5] The poll was considered unscientific partly because it was possible for people to cast multiple votes.[6] According to John Zogby, founder and current President/CEO of the Utica, New York–based polling organization Zogby International, New 7 Wonders Foundation drove "the largest poll on record".[4]
The program drew a wide range of official reactions. Some countries touted their finalist and tried to get more votes cast for it, while others downplayed or criticized the contest.[4][6] After supporting the New 7 Wonders Foundation at the beginning of the campaign by providing advice on nominee selection, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), bound by its bylaws to record and give equal status to all World Heritage Sites, distanced itself from the undertaking in 2001 and again in 2007.[7][8]
The 7 winners were chosen from 21 candidates, which had been whittled down from 77 choices by a panel in 2006.
The New 7 Wonders Foundation, established in 2001, relied on private donations and the sale of broadcast rights and received no public funding.[9] After the final announcement, New 7 Wonders said it did not earn anything from the exercise and barely recovered its investment.[10] Although N7W describes itself as a not-for-profit organization, the company behind it—the New Open World Corporation (NOWC)—is a commercial business. All licensing and sponsorship money is paid to NOWC.
The foundation ran two subsequent programs: New 7 Wonders of Nature, the subject of voting until 2011, and New7Wonders Cities, which ended in 2014.
Winners
edit
The Great Pyramid of Giza, largest and oldest of the three pyramids at the Giza Necropolis in Egypt and the only surviving of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was granted honorary status.[11]
| Wonder | Location | Image | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giza Pyramids (honorary status) |
Giza Necropolis, Egypt |  |
2560 BC |
| Great Wall of China | China |  |
700 BC |
| Petra | Ma'an, Jordan |  |
312 BC |
| Colosseum | Rome, Italy |  |
80 AD |
| Chichén Itzá | Yucatán, Mexico |  |
600 AD |
| Machu Picchu | Cuzco Region, Peru |  |
1450 AD |
| Taj Mahal | Agra, India |  |
1643 AD |
| Christ the Redeemer | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |  |
1931 AD |
Reactions given
editUnited Nations
editIn 2007, the New 7 Wonders Foundation contracted a partnership with the United Nations in recognition of the efforts to promote the UN's Millennium Development Goals.[12][failed verification]
However, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in a press release on June 20, 2007, reaffirmed that it has no link with the initiative. The press release concluded:[8]
There is no comparison between Mr. Weber's mediatized campaign and the scientific and educational work resulting from the inscription of sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List. The list of the 8 New Won cannot, in any significant and sustainable manner, contribute to the preservation of sites elected by this public.
— UNESCO
Brazil
editIn Brazil there was a campaign Vote no Cristo (Vote for the Christ) which had the support of private companies, namely telecommunications operators that stopped charging voters to make telephone calls and SMS messages to vote.[13] Additionally, leading corporate sponsors including Banco Bradesco and Rede Globo spent millions of reals in the effort to have the statue voted into the top seven.[4] Newsweek reports the campaign was so pervasive that:[4]
One morning in June, Rio de Janeiro residents awoke to a beeping text message on their cell phones: "Press 4916 and vote for Christ. It's free!" The same pitch had been popping up all over the city since late January—flashing across an electronic screen every time city-dwellers swiped their transit cards on city buses and echoing on TV infomercials that featured a reality-show celebrity posing next to the city's trademark Christ the Redeemer statue.
— Elizabeth Dwoskin, Newsweek
According to an article in Newsweek, around 10 million Brazilians had voted in the contest by early July.[4] This number is estimated as the New 7 Wonders Foundation never released such details about the campaign. An airplane message, with a huge inscription "4916 VOTE FOR CHRIST" flew in Rio de Janeiro for a month.
Peru
editAn intensive campaign led by the Peruvian Ministry of Commerce and Tourism in Peru had a great impact in the media and consequently, Peruvian people voted massively for its national wonder. The announcement of the new World Wonders generated great expectations and the election of Machu Picchu was celebrated nationwide.
Chile
editThe Chilean representative for Easter Island's Moais, Alberto Hortus, said Weber gave him a letter saying that the Moais had finished eighth and were morally one of the New 7 Wonders. Hortus said he was the only participant to receive such an apology.[14]
India
editA campaign to publicize the Taj Mahal in India gathered speed and it reached a climax in July 2007 with news channels, radio stations, and many celebrities asking people to vote for the Taj Mahal.
Jordan
editQueen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan joined the campaign to back Petra, Jordan's national treasure.[4]
Mexico
editThere was a campaign on the news programs to encourage people to vote for Chichen Itzá.[citation needed]
Other finalists
editThe other 13 finalists,[15] chronologically were:
| Wonder | Location | Image | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stonehenge | Amesbury, United Kingdom |  |
2400 BC |
| Acropolis of Athens | Athens, Greece | .jpg) |
447 BC |
| Hagia Sophia | Istanbul, Turkey | .jpg) |
537 AD |
| Angkor Wat | Angkor, Cambodia |  |
1113 AD |
| Moai Statues | Easter Island, Chile |  |
1250 AD |
| Timbuktu | Timbuktu, Mali |  |
1327 AD |
| Alhambra | Granada, Spain |  |
1333 AD |
| Kremlin and Red Square | Moscow, Russia | .jpg) |
1561 AD |
| Kiyomizu-dera | Kyoto, Japan |  |
1633 AD |
| Neuschwanstein | Füssen, Germany |  |
1869 AD |
| Statue of Liberty | New York City, United States |  |
1886 AD |
| Eiffel Tower | Paris, France |  |
1887 AD |
| Sydney Opera House | Sydney, Australia | .jpg) |
1973 AD |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "How the New 7 Wonders movement all began – World of New 7 Wonders". World of New 7 Wonders. Archived from the original on 2014-02-17. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
- ^ "FAQ". About New7Wonders. Archived from the original on 2020-05-13. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
- ^ "The project founder Bernard Weber - A Short History - World of New 7 Wonders". World of New 7 Wonders. 29 March 2011. Archived from the original on 5 March 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g Dwoskin, Elizabeth (2007-07-09). "Vote for Christ". Newsweek. ISSN 0028-9604. Archived from the original on 2008-05-03.
postscript was limited to one vote for seven monuments per person/identity, but multiple voting was possible through telephone.
- ^ "Voting Analysis". World of New 7 Wonders. Archived from the original on 2013-03-26.
- ^ a b The Seven Wonders of the World, 2.0 Archived 2011-12-28 at the Wayback Machine, Los Angeles Times, 2007-07-07
- ^ "New 7 Wonders and UNESCO: Separate organizations, common goals". World of New 7 Wonders. 8 June 2007. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
- ^ a b "UNESCO confirms that it is not involved in the "New 7 Wonders of the World" campaign". UNESCO. July 9, 2007. Archived from the original on 23 November 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
- ^ "Interesting questions and answers". World of New 7 Wonders. Archived from the original on 2013-12-11.
- ^ Oh Taj! 7 wonders won’t get campaign money, indianexpress.com, 2007-07-22 Archived August 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "New 7 wonders of the world named". CNN.com. July 6, 2007.
- ^ "United Nations". About New7Wonders. Archived from the original on 2019-12-10. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
- ^ "Sete Maravilhas: Brasil comemora eleição de Cristo Redent" (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2007-08-22. Retrieved 2007-07-10.
- ^ "Líder pascuense furioso Porque le dieron a la Isla un Triunfo moral" Las Últimas Noticias July 10, 2007 Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "New 7 Wonders of the World". World of New 7 Wonders. Archived from the original on 2013-03-08. Retrieved 2013-03-08.
External links
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