Flick the switch and think about doing some Light Thinking
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Since we have been thinking of more modern navigational aids, the number of operational lighthouses has declined to less than 1,500 worldwide. We now think of many of these as historic landmarks.
People have been thinking about the benefits of lighthouses for thousands of years. Perhaps the most famous lighthouse in history is the Lighthouse of Alexandria, built on the island of Pharos in ancient Egypt built between 285 and 247 BC.
Think about this! In very old lighthouses, the light source was a kerosene lamp, and the lenses were rotated by a clockwork assembly wound by lighthouse keepers.
-The United States Coast Guard has to think about keeping them running now as it is their job to maintain lighthouses in the U.S.
People used to think of Lighthouse keepers as "wickies" because they tended the lamps wick.
Many groups have been formed to think about the restoration and saving lighthouses around the world. A couple to think about are The World Lighthouse Society and The United States Lighthouse Society. We need to be thankful for groups such as these who do all the thinking for the lighthouses we love to visit.
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Only one letter separates the words thank and think.
Interpreters of dreams think that lighthouses in dreams represent beacons of truth or as male fertility and influence. That thinking could be considered a bit phallic.
For a woman thinking about a job other than typing and filing, one of the first non-clerical U.S. government jobs that were open to women were positions as lighthouse keepers. Think how far we have come...
Do you think you know how many states have lighthouses in them? - In the United States lighthouses exist in Thirty one out of Fifty states.
Estimates have us thinking that The Cape Neddick lighthouse in Maine is the most photographed lighthouse in The United States. Some also think only a ‘Mainer’ thinks that.
The first U.S. city to think about building a lighthouse was Boston in 1716.
-The first west coast city think about building a lighthouse was San Francisco that built the Alcatraz Lighthouse in 1854.
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In fact, a lot of thinking has gone into how to use ‘The Rock’ in San Francisco Bay. It first served as a lighthouse, then a military fortification, and then a federal prison for the area until 1963, when it became a national recreation area. When it was used as a prison officials didn’t think anyone could escape from it, but some people did think of a way to escape. There is a lot of time to think when you are in prison....
The people of St. George’s Reef, CA. didn’t just think of building a lighthouse in 1891 they thought about building the most expensive lighthouse (adjusted cost).
Do you think you know which state has the most lighthouses? - Michigan has seen the construction of 90 lighthouses in its history, the most in the United States, followed closely by Maine with about 80. When asked most people never think Michigan is even in the top five. |
