It's a light, and a house, and sometimes has a spiral staircase. Does your Baie-Comeau house have all of this? My lighthouse does, and it keeps boats from crashing into the shore, so top that!
Lighthouses have been in existence for thousands of years. The first lighthouse was the Pharos of Alexandria, built by the Greeks in the Third Century B.C. in Egypt. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
The purposes of a lighthouse are many, one of the main ones being a navigation and pilotage (use of fixed visual references) aid for ships at sea. They also warn of shoals and dangerous coastlines. Lighthouses send out a light beam to accomplish these purposes. Fire was first used, then kerosene lamps and finally, electric lights. Rotating lenses were used to concentrate the light, making the light beam stronger. Today, lighthouses use a bright light that emits brief flashes.
Lighthouses had caretakers called lighthouse keepers. These keepers were responsible for maintaining the lighthouse and assisting with rescues at sea.
Lighthouses were first established in North America at Boston in 1716. The United States Lighthouse Establishment was created by President George Washington in 1789. This brought all lighthouses under the control of the federal government. Until that time, lighthouses were owned and operated by individual states. For the next 150 years the Lighthouse Establishment would change its name several times until its last successor, the United States Lighthouse Service, became part of the United States Coast Guard.
Since that time the technology of lighthouses has changed drastically. Today, all Coast Guard lighthouses are fully automated, and they are equipped with GPS (Global Positioning System) systems that help improve navigation. The Coast Guard has also replaced many lighthouses with metal towers containing all essential equipment that lighthouses have.
Many lighthouses are privately owned and have become tourist attractions, with others being owned by the National Park Service. About 600 lighthouses and light stations remain in the United States.
For more information about lighthouses, please visit the following web pages:
Lighthouses can be purchased from the government for private use.
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