World Lighthouses

About World Lighthouses

World Lighthouses is a free general knowledge quiz with 15 multiple-choice questions with a mix of 6 easy, 5 medium, 4 hard questions. Famous lighthouses and maritime navigation A typical run takes about 7 minutes, hints are always one tap away, and your streak ticks up the first time you finish a game on a given day.

A few sample questions

1. 1. The Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was located in which country?

   Answer: Egypt

   The Pharos of Alexandria was built on the island of Pharos in the harbor of Alexandria, Egypt, around 280 BC. Standing over 330 feet tall, it was one of the tallest structures in the ancient world.

2. 2. What type of light source did early lighthouses use before electricity?

   Answer: Candles and oil lamps

   Early lighthouses used open fires, candles, and oil lamps as light sources. The light was amplified using mirrors and later Fresnel lenses. Whale oil, kerosene, and eventually gas were used before electrification.

3. 3. Which French physicist invented the lens system widely used in lighthouses to focus and intensify light?

   Answer: Augustin-Jean Fresnel

   Augustin-Jean Fresnel invented the Fresnel lens in 1822. This revolutionary lens design used concentric rings of glass prisms to capture and redirect light that would otherwise be wasted, dramatically increasing a lighthouse's visibility.

4. 4. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the tallest brick lighthouse in the United States, is located in which state?

   Answer: North Carolina

   Cape Hatteras Lighthouse stands at 198 feet (60 meters) in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Its distinctive black and white spiral-striped pattern makes it one of the most recognizable lighthouses in America.

5. 5. What remarkable engineering feat was accomplished with Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in 1999?

   Answer: It was moved 2,900 feet inland to save it from erosion

   In 1999, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was moved 2,900 feet (884 meters) inland to protect it from shoreline erosion. The 4,830-ton structure was moved on rails over 23 days in one of the largest structure relocations ever.

Things you'll learn along the way

• ✓Portland Head Light sits on Cape Elizabeth, Maine, at the entrance to Portland Harbor. Completed in 1791, it was the first lighthouse completed under the new U.S. federal government and was commissioned by George Washington.
• ✓Each lighthouse has a unique flash pattern (called its characteristic) so that mariners can identify which lighthouse they are observing. This helps them determine their exact position along the coast.
• ✓The Eddystone Lighthouse stands on the Eddystone Rocks, 9 miles south of Plymouth, England. The current tower is the fourth on the site, with the first built in 1698. Its construction inspired lighthouse engineering worldwide.