The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-07-20
Scientists Vote ON Seven of
Modern Times.
Contrast With Seven Named by
Ancients.
WIRELESS LEADS THE LIST
Then Comes 'PhOne, AerOplane
and Radium.
Antiseptics in Place of Honor
and Last Is X-Ray.
seven Wonders of the World.

Seven Wonders of the World.
| ANCIENT MODERN.
IL Pyramids ofEgypt.E1. Wireless.
II. Pharos of Alexan 2. Telephone.
/ dria.
3. Hanging gardens of g. Aeroplane.
| Babylon.
4. Temple of Dianal4. Radum.
at Ephesus.
| 5. Statue of Jupiteri5. Antiseptics and
| by Phidias. antitoxins-
6. Mausoleum of Ar Is. Spectrum analysis
| temesia.
! z. Colossus of Rhodes "a. X-ray.
The Chicago Tribune prints the fol-
lowing as the result of the poll for
the seven modern wonders of the
world:
When Antipater. the epigrammatist
of Sidon, wrote guide book for west
ern travellers in the eastern country,
about two centuries before Christ, he
prefaced it with a list of Seven Won
ders of the World. These. in Anti
pater's mind, no sightseer could afford
to miss, Or at least fail to hear about
The selection has come down in his
tory. 1t represents the most glorious
achievements of man in the ancient
time
The publishers of Popular Mechan-
les recently sent out 1000 letters to
! eminent scientists If Europe and Amer
! lea, and inclosed a ballot containing
| Sc subjects of scientific and mechant-
cal achievement. The letter requested
Ihe learned men to cross off seven of
the list which they thought were the
seven greatest wonders of the mod
ern world" or supplement a list or par
tial list Of their own.
Here Is Standing in Vote.
seventy per cent of the letters gain
eo responses. The ballots on the high
est seven items stood this way: WIRE
less telegrapEy, 244 votes; telephone.
100; aeroplane. 1877; radium. les: an
usepues and antitoxins. 140: spectrum
anaIysis, 126; x-ray, Ill The three
next highest achievements received thus
az go tanana canal. 100; anesthesia.
DIR. Theodore Paul of the ROYAL mi
NeFsIty, Munich, Germany Checked
the only ballot received marked for
~ she seven titles which the total vote
SnoWed to have been selected. Six
DaIIots, one from India, two from
france, two from Germany, and one
from the United States. showed the
se4ee'lon Oh SIX of the final seven.
PoH Touches All Nations
The poll was of International ex-
tent, The voters represent a wide di-
Versity of opinion. leaders of almost
every branch of human achievement.
Maxim. Mareoni. Alexander era
H.
metz, Albert Zahm. r. w. WOOD,
David Todd, DR.. E. E. Hyde, mem
6ers of the French academy Of
scientists, of the Royal society of
London. the American academy ana
the great German universities are rep
resented in the list of voters.
Among the Chicago men who voted
are: Bien ]. Arnold, James Rowland
Angel. E. H. Moore, F. r. MouIton,
H. Gideon Wells, r. A. MilIfkan, A. A.
Nicholson, E. E. Barnard, John Park
hurst, and Edwin B. Frost of the
University of Chicago, DR.. Frank Bill
ings ]. c. Miller and o. H. Basquin
of Northwestern university.
Wonders Named on Ballot.
The ballot sent out contained the
following list:
Panama canal. EiffeI tower.
Wireless. Hydro-electric pow
Printing press. Utilization of pneu-
Camera. matte power.
X-ray. Typewriter.
Locomotive Computing machine.
Aeroplane. Color printing.
Electric furnace. Steel
Incandescent light Preventive medicine.
Photograph. Synthetic Chemistry.
Colored motion pic Radium-
lures. AsSuan dam.
Skyscraper. Simplon tunnel.
Automobile. Ultraviolet rays.
Hydroplane. Ultra microscope.
Turbine engine. Artificial ice.
Spectrum analysis. Modern telescope.
Antiseptie and ant Internal combustion
TOXINS engine.
Anesthesia. Taking nitrogen
Modern ocean liner from the air.
Sewing machine Florida-Key West
ThreShing machine. railroad.
Rein foreed concrete. Transsiberian rail-
Subway transporta- road.
ton. Ore sTnelter.
Submarine Science of eugenics.
Battleship. Catskill aqueduct-
Electric transform Transandean rail-
er. road.
Discovery of north Textile machinery
and south poles. Oxy-acetylene and
Telephone. oxy-hydrogen
Telegraph. torches.
Modern Men Prefer Practical.
The contrast of the selections made
by the Antipater of ancient times with
the worlds greatest scientists of mod
ern times is marked. Among the an
cient wonders only one was of practical
utility-the Pharos lighthouse, 400 feet
high built at Alexandria.
The hanging gardens of Babylon were
built not for the people but for the sem
suaI pleasure of the queen of Baby
lon. Two were sepulchres; another was
an adornment for a polytheistic shrine;
while another, the Colossus of Rhodes,
was a representation of a man in cast
metal less than half the height of the
Statue of Liberty in New York harbor.
The result of the vote, together with
articles by eminent SCientiStS on the