Which would be your choice for number one?
A humbling Grecian temple built to honor the gods.
An awe-inspiring New York span that bridged cultures and business.
An age-old Egyptian tomb fit for a king?
What makes an architectural wonder wondrous?
Its ties to a bloody Roman past?
Its expanse allowing it to be seen from space?
We've chosen the top ten. See why as we build on our fascination with the greatest architectural wonders and count them down on A&E Top Ten.
Hi, I'm Andrea Joyce.
And I'm Rob Weller and welcome to A&E Top Ten.
The unique series with topics that entertain and liven and sometimes even spark controversy.
Thank you for your responses over the weeks via your email comments.
We'll share some of your thoughts about the rankings later in the show.
But first, we'll unearth the past in a really big way by choosing the top ten architectural wonders of all time.
Let's start off on a scale we can relate to and an architect closer to our experience.
In the 1930s, Frank Lloyd Wright asked, what is our relationship to nature?
Throughout his career, he sought to answer that question, perhaps discovering no better answer than in his creation of falling water.
This private residence outside of Pittsburgh put its occupants in direct contact with the landscape.
It's a masterpiece of architecture and design.
See why falling water comes to rest at number ten on our A&E Top Ten list of architectural wonders.
Architects call falling water the best American building of the last 125 years, a house that seems to be suspended in midair, a perfect blend of contemporary form, structure and site.
Falling water by Frank Lloyd Wright may be the best known modern residence in existence.
It's perched on a bluff over boulders in Bear Run, Pennsylvania.
It's an icon of contemporary design set into a woodland beside a flowing stream with bold, very contemporary planes extending out into the landscape.
Instead of designing a home with a view of the waterfall, Wright did what no architect had done before.
He placed the house directly over the falls.
This blending of man-made structure with its natural environment epitomized Wright's concept of organic architecture.
In organic architecture, Wright basically banished the fixed wall and instead interposed succeeding planes that interrupt view and vision, allow for privacy, and yet many of the amenities of the house are very present.
The roof, the hearth, the quiet spot, the nook, the open place just to catch the sound of the waterfall itself.
Our number ten architectural wonder was designed to be a weekend retreat for Edgar Kaufman, a wealthy department store owner from Pittsburgh.
Construction began in 1936 with a budget of $40,000.
Wright pushed materials and technology to their limit. Giant scaffolding was erected over the falls.
Native sandstone was quarried on the property.
Reinforced concrete was mixed on site to form the home's massive horizontal elements.
Steel beams attached the structure to the hillside.
Three years later, falling water was complete.
The final price tag, $150,000.
Wright was 70 years old when he designed falling water. It was his first major commission in more than a decade.
Not only did it revive his career, it made him a national celebrity.
Falling water has always seemed to me like an amazing exercise in attempting to reconcile architectural rationality with natural fact.
By elegantly combining indoor and outdoor space and building a home with a bold vision that broke new ground in construction and aesthetics, Frank Lloyd Wright created a modern masterpiece.
That's why we ranked falling water number ten on our list of the greatest architectural wonders of all time.
Now that we've broken ground, you get an idea of the qualities that a top ten architectural wonder must have.
But sometimes highly subjective, one thing's for sure, when you see one, you'll know it.
We've chosen many you might expect while also including a few surprises.
Our quest took us around the world in search of the truly innovative, inspirational, and functional architectural wonders which we've rated from ten to one.
There are many factors that make a structure notable.
Our criteria include those wonders of architecture known for their feats of engineering, their historical and cultural significance, and in some cases, their awe-inspiring beauty.
Architecture has a unique ability to affect the human emotions.
We don't fully understand architecture's power to move us, but we know that it does.
We know that it is able to affect our sense of well-being, a sense of awe or grandeur or fear.
Robert Ivey is editor-in-chief of Architectural Record Magazine and an expert in ancient as well as contemporary architecture.
Ivey, along with A&E and the show's producers, considered hundreds of structures and the history behind them to determine the greatest architectural wonders.
To make our list, they still had to be standing, play an important role in the development of the country or region, or have an impact in a cultural or technological manner.
The final ranking was tabulated by secret ballot, with the results revealed only now.
It's an amazing list, one that will transport you to the past and pique your imagination of what the future may hold.
Our countdown led off with number 10, falling water, which offers the best of the modern era.
But for number nine, we go back a few years, a few hundred years, to a hidden citadel, the last refuge for the Inca Indians,
shrouded in mist and mystery, to monumental achievement in stone masonry,
putting the ancient city of Machapichu on the map at number nine on our list of architectural wonders.
Remote and inaccessible, Machapichu.
Dramatically situated 7,000 feet above sea level, it's nestled atop the Andes Mountains of Peru.
What's significant about Machapichu, I think, is its very existence.
A seven and a half hour flight from New York, natives call Machapichu the Great Peak, hidden for four centuries,
until Yale professor Hiram Bingham discovered it in 1911.
Hearing rumors of a lost Incan city hidden deep in the Peruvian jungle,
Bingham found an astonishing complex of temples, palaces, and observatories that scholars believe was a place of worship for the Inca ruling class.
We know that it was a royal retreat, but we also know that subsequent generations have been attracted to a rather mysterious quality
that they find high in these Andes Mountains.
It is a place that resides as much in the imagination as it does on a mountain top.
This holy Inca shrine includes more than 200 stone structures, 40 rows of terraces, each over 10 feet high.
The entire site is linked together by 3,000 stone steps.
Architects marvel at the precision of the work, considering the rudimentary tools of the time.
Stone joinery is so fine, the weight of the individual elements so extreme,
that contemporary engineering really doesn't answer the question of how, nor can we fully answer the question of why.
Machapichu was built during the first half of the 15th century.
Early chronicles tell of thousands of Indians pushing rocks weighing 15 tons up the steep precipice from quarries miles away.
Since the Incas had no knowledge of the wheel or the pulley, their achievement is all the more remarkable,
making our number nine choice a number one mystery for the ages.
I mean, I think people tend to see it as a kind of miraculous kind of human effort.
Machapichu was abandoned a mere 50 years after it was built.
No one knows exactly why, but scholars theorize the collapse of the Incan Empire left no need for a royal retreat.
However, the structure that remains is a testament to the Inca's skill, ingenuity, and aesthetic vision.
A temple to the sun that inspires serious students and spiritual seekers alike,
Machapichu ranks a rock solid number nine on our list of top ten architectural wonders.
Eight more wonders to come.
Would your number one be a steel and concrete structure that links two famous New York boroughs,
or a French tower that symbolizes an entire country?
How about a cluster of architectural masterpieces that make up an ancient Greek city?
Stay tuned as A&E Top Ten continues to count down the top architectural wonders.
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Presidential candidates.
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Now, this historic landmark is one of the Big Apple's main attractions.
It's an architectural wonder that embodies the spirit of this great city and redefined how to spur economic development by building office space up, not out.
You might think it deserves higher, but the Empire State Building still soars to number eight.
Thrusting a quarter mile into the sky, above the heart of Manhattan, the Empire State Building at 102 stories high was for years the tallest building in the world.
The Empire State Building is the icon of New York City and, in fact, of American vitality.
The architectural firm of Shreve, Lamb & Harmon Associates, specialists in Manhattan office buildings, designed the skyscraper.
Excavation began January 22, 1930, less than three months after the stock market crash.
Workers were eager and labor was cheap, making the nearly $25 million project cost half the estimate.
It took a staggering seven million man hours to lay the 16,000 tons of steel frame, 50 miles of radiator pipe, two and a half million feet of electrical wire, not to mention fitting the 6,500 windows.
Fourteen workers died in the process.
Amazingly, in our own contemporary world, where things seem to take a long time to get done, the Empire State Building was built in one year and 45 days.
Consider that one more time. They built the tallest building in the world in one year and 45 days. It still boggles my mind to consider it.
While the structure was ready for business on May 1, 1931, it had very few tenants.
Building President Al Smith designed some amazing PR campaigns to spice interest, including the mooring of a steel-framed dirigible on top of the building.
But what really helped turn the corner was the 1933 film, King Kong.
While the Empire State Building survived a giant ape, it suffered a million dollars in damage in 1945 when a B-25 bomber crashed into the 79th floor.
Fourteen people died, including three in the airplane.
However, the structural integrity of the building remained intact, inspiring even more legends of its impenetrability.
It remains today an icon for tourist visitors for both New York, the city of New York, the United States worldwide. The Empire State Building is the city.
For inspiring myths and legends and becoming an icon for the American dream, the Empire State Building ranks a lofty number eight on our list of architectural wonders of the world.
When built, the Empire State Building offered the loftiest structural view in the world. But height has always provided strategic advantage as well.
One of the great examples is above Athens, Greece, a 2000-year-old masterpiece built on a hill to be more secure from enemies and closer to their gods.
Its sacred structures are among the most significant ever erected. The Acropolis is a solid addition to the list at number seven.
For over two millennia, the Acropolis has weathered the years, visibly prominent over the city of Athens, located in southeast Greece.
The Acropolis is comprised of multiple majestic marble structures built to honor and worship Athena, the goddess of wisdom.
Venerated architects designed the Acropolis, setting new aesthetic standards that would influence all of Western civilization.
Greek architecture has inspired entire movements of subsequent generations who have imitated and used the principles that the Greeks invented.
And of course, the pinnacle of that idea was the Acropolis itself and the Parthenon.
The Parthenon, the most recognized structure on the Acropolis, was commissioned in 447 BC by Pericles, the ruler of Athens.
Completed in 432 BC, the Doric Temple is built almost entirely from marble quarried from nearby Mount Patellicus.
Intricately carved friezes and pediments depict the glory of gods and men. But the most striking feature of the Parthenon is its columns.
In fact, the columns of the Parthenon were built to lean slightly toward each other and into the center of the temple in order to appear straight when seen from a distance.
This optical illusion has delighted architects and visitors for centuries, a lasting reminder of the Greeks' dedication to perfection.
We are drawn to the Greek mastery of form, to their knowledge and understanding and increasing mastery over time of light as it affects stone.
The other monuments on the hill, while perhaps less imposing, are no less masterworks of construction.
There is the Propalia, or elaborate entrance in Greek, the Temple of Athena Nike, and the Erechtheum, another temple with six columns shaped like maidens.
Designed for religious worship, the Acropolis set the standard for classical architecture over 2,000 years ago and is the highest achievement of Greek civilization.
Efforts to preserve these amazing structures help to keep the Acropolis standing at number seven on our list.
Coming up, it's sixth through number one. Here are some choices. Where would you rank them?
Is the Colosseum number one? Or is it an architectural wonder that required the labor of hundreds of thousands to build the Great Wall?
Decide along with us as A&E Top Ten continues.
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Here's an architectural wonder with a violent history. It was built as a stadium to showcase the most barbaric of contact sports and still stands as an excellent example of Roman architecture and engineering.
Italy's own Roman Coliseum rises from the ruins to number six on our list.
Ancient Rome, a place whose mighty grandeur and bloody past has impressed and appalled visitors for more than 2000 years.
Located in the heart of Italy.
It's not the first amphitheater that the Romans constructed, but because of its prominence in the capital of the Empire, the Coliseum is one of the primary symbols of Rome and certainly it harks back to the great imperial age.
In part, the Coliseum was built by the Flavian emperors to atone for the excesses of Emperor Nero.
This masterpiece of architecture and design is over 160 feet high with 80 entrances carved into its oval shape, massive enough to hold 50,000 spectators.
The equivalent of two football fields in length and four stories high, the first three stories contain arches framed by stately columns. It took thousands of slaves eight years to build the arena where thousands of spectators gathered to witness depraved horrors unfold.
Who you were determined where you sat. The higher up the tier, the lower the status of the spectator.
If you look at the Coliseum now, you'll see that the flooring that was originally there is gone. So you can see all of the chambers and passageways where they would keep the wild animals or the gladiators can prepare for battle and come up through the floor. So it was a great spectacle.
The Coliseum's history, the subject of endless movies, is stained with the blood of thousands who perished in the name of entertainment. The crowds craved gore while cheering on the gladiators who fought to the death.
There were wild animal hunts, chariot races, and dreadful slaughtering at the ravenous jaws of the lions.
Despite its terrible history, the Coliseum has earned its rightful place as our number six architectural wonder and continues to be Rome's most famous landmark.
We're at number five, and appropriately a bridge spans the halfway point, but not any bridge. It also linked two ages, the industrial and the modern. After 60 years of consideration and debate, construction began in 1870 on a structure that would be the very embodiment of 20th century ingenuity to come.
The Brooklyn Bridge, a man-made marvel, a remarkable achievement utilizing classic form, and number five on our list of architectural wonders.
Graceful.
Majestic.
A symbol of unity.
Why do we love the Brooklyn Bridge? It was built between 1870 and 1883 and represented one of the great achievements of engineering and human daring at that time.
The first stage of construction began in 1870 as pressurized wooden chambers called caissons were set into the mud some 78 feet below the East River. The downside of that was that they had to place workers in those caissons.
Workers would have to compress and decompress as they moved in and out of those caissons.
They were like underwater dungeons for a paltry $2 a day. The men were subjected to unbearable conditions and often developed case on disease today called the bends. Many died.
But even so, an industrial miracle was underfoot to 277 foot towers resembling Gothic inspired cathedrals began rising skyward.
Massive concrete anchors each weighing 60,000 tons were built on either shore. Next, an incredible 3500 miles of bundled steel wire cables were strung between Brooklyn and Manhattan. It was a feat never before attempted.
But accidents still plague the workers cable strands broke loose whipping several to death. Others were crushed underneath concrete blocks. Nearly 30 men perished during construction, but the end was in sight. Once the cables went up, the roadway went down.
After 14 years of setback struggle and tragedy, the Brooklyn Bridge opened on May 24 1883.
This became a kind of symbol of modernism in America.
The Brooklyn Bridge stretching a breathtaking 1600 feet from one tower to the other was the longest suspension bridge of its time, costing $15 million, a whopping 280 million in today's dollars.
The number five top 10 architectural wonder became a story for the history books and a badge of honor proudly worn by one of the greatest cities on earth.
The Brooklyn Bridge is to New York what this tower is to Paris. It's an intricate structure of metal that helps define the personality of its people. It serves little utilitarian purpose but it's impossible to conceive of France without it.
Built in the late 1880s by Gustav Eiffel, his namesake tower rises above our earlier choices and peaks at number four.
Located in north central France, Paris is known as the city of light and the Eiffel Tower is the lamp post which inspires romance. People from around the world fall in love with Paris and the tower that provides a bird's eye view.
The Eiffel Tower was built for the international exposition in Paris, opened in 1889 and very shortly two million persons had visited.
Opened in 1889 and very shortly two million persons had visited this structure.
In architectural triumph, the Eiffel Tower was the first substantial iron-based building in the world influencing all skyscrapers that were to come. It epitomized how a city could be identified with a single structure.
Yet at the time it first loomed over the quaint cobblestone streets, the French were not impressed.
The Eiffel Tower was not particularly well received when it was built. It was considered vulgar, extreme.
The tower was designed by Gustave Eiffel and his staff of architects. It rose in record time, a mere two years, two months and five days. The use of prefabricated metal pieces helped accelerate the building process.
What the metal symbolizes I think was that break with the masonry town that it sort of springs up out of. I think that's why it was such a startling symbol that you could actually make this thing out of rivets and pieces of metal and go endlessly high with it. That's its sort of exceptional quality.
The Eiffel Tower was built at an 18,000 metal parts high, held together by two and a half million rivets and weighing a massive 7,000 tons.
The cost? Just over a million dollars and Monsieur Eiffel footed 80% of the bill. Ticket sales made back most of it within the first five months.
It stands tall as our number four architectural wonder because at 1,000 feet high it remained the tallest building in the world for 40 years, the longest any modern building would hold that distinction.
Actually, the tower was meant to be a temporary structure. It was scheduled to be torn down in 1909.
The masterpiece was saved from the wrecking ball the following year when it became evident it would be the perfect site for a radio antenna, a function that continues to this day.
More than five million people a year visit the tower and some climb its 1,710 steps.
For a structure that was considered ugly and garish, its ironic the Eiffel Tower stands as more than an architectural achievement. It is a symbol of love and romance.
Today it's become a sort of revered landmark on the European countryside and it actually represents the soul of Paris.
When we come back the final countdown is on for the top three architectural wonders. See if you can guess what they are.
But first this question. How many bricks are in the Empire State Building?
365,000, 0, 10 million or 1.2 million? Answer is coming up next.
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Have you decided what your answer is to our question?
How many bricks are in the Empire State Building? It's C.
An astounding 10 million bricks were used to build the famous landmark.
If you have a question or comment for us, just email our A&E Top Ten website.
We're always happy to hear your thoughts.
We're counting down the world's greatest architectural wonders.
Structures that have had a profound impact on history by design or even by accident.
And here's where we are so far.
Frank Lloyd writes falling water is a testament to 20th century architectural expression at number 10.
Machu Picchu, a mysterious city but no mystery at number 9.
The Empire State Building with its majestic spire rose to number 8.
The Acropolis at Athens, a classic at number 7.
Not as old but with a darker history, the Roman Colosseum is a spectacle at number 6.
Halfway to the top at number 5 rests the Brooklyn Bridge, as captivating as the day it was built.
And climbing above the City of Lights, the Eiffel Tower.
Time for the real competition. Our choices for 3, 2, and 1.
For number 3, we go to a domed monument, a symbol of eternal love and the devotion a husband had for his wife.
World rich with magnificent temples, one stands out as the best preserved and most beautiful.
India's Taj Mahal is a jewel of architectural perfection that can make even the most cynical swoon.
And it's our number 3 choice.
India, 1631.
The Emperor loved his wife so he called her Mumtaz Mahal, exalted one of the palace.
And when she died, Shah Zahan built the Taj Mahal, the crown of the palace, to house her remains.
Once called a teardrop on the cheek of time, this 17th century tomb stands as a monument to undying love.
Is there a more beautiful building than the Taj Mahal, or a more romantic one?
These pure Islamic forms interposed into a landscape like a paradise,
consisting of a mosque and a gate and a garden and a crypt that expresses a human emotion, in this case, love.
The Taj Mahal is a view into another dimension, and yet it's made of stone and brick and water and vegetation.
The construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1631 in the ancient city of Agra, the seat of the Mughal Empire.
It took 20,000 laborers 22 years to complete this labor of love.
The Taj Mahal is a major wonder because it not only combines the best of old Indian architecture with the incoming taste of the Muslim rulers,
but it also is built out of such precious material, we have a structure of uncommon beauty.
Inside, the jewel-encrusted cenotaphs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Zahan lie side by side.
They're surrounded by a delicate marble screen which took 16 years to carve.
The marble is inlaid with precious stones from all over the world.
Another surprise the Taj Mahal holds for the thousands who visit every day is how it changes color with the seasons and at different times of the day.
It is said that after the death of his wife, Shah Zahan's hair turned from black to white in a matter of months.
After a power struggle within his family, Shah Zahan was deposed and imprisoned by his own son within view of the monument he had built.
As a marvel of aesthetics and a testament to eternal love, we rank the Taj Mahal at number three on our list of architectural wonders.
About 2,200 years ago, the northern Chinese were being attacked. The emperor ordered a wall of protection against the enemy which they couldn't get through, under, around or across.
The Great Wall of China. We call it the number two architectural wonder in the world.
70 kilometers north of Beijing, the Great Wall of China is a stone serpent winding its way across layers of undulating mountains, a distance that reaches a staggering 1,600 miles.
The vast wall was conceived in the third century BC by China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, to prevent an invasion by the barbaric nomads to the north.
Nearly one million peasants, criminals, unemployed intellectuals and disgraced noblemen were ordered to erect the wall.
The Great Wall of China is sometimes referred to as the world's longest cemetery. It's said that as many as 400,000 people died during the construction of the wall, some of whom may even have been buried in the construction itself.
Great human and incredible animal strength was required. Some sections of the Great Wall contained two ton granite stones erected to a height of 20 feet.
Towers and garrisons were built from three to five hundred feet apart, guaranteeing that enemies below would always be within firing range.
Eventually, an astounding 25,000 towers were built along the wall.
Later during the 13th century, trade routes were established and soldiers were assigned to the wall to protect the merchants and caravans that brought valuable goods in and out of China.
But throughout most of China's rich history, the Great Wall served as a tool of war.
The Great Wall of China wasn't much help in keeping out invaders because it was a stationary defense. If you are up against a leader like Genghis Khan and his Mongols, they are highly mobile.
They simply swarmed all over the wall, went over, around, under and beside it and were able to sweep into China. So in fact, the wall turned out to be less of a deterrent than it was thought when it was first built.
Despite being the victim of harsh rulers, weather, neglect and even habitation by the country's poor, much of the wall still stands.
Our number two architectural wonder is so imposing a structure that it's the only man-made object on earth visible from the moon.
The Great Wall is really perhaps the most significant symbol of China itself. It symbolizes the centuries of culture and political power of the country.
Every brick of this sleeping dragon holds the bloody memory of the hundreds of thousands of people who worked and died in service to their country.
It's in harmony with the land that it spans. It follows the rivers. It follows the mountains and the hills. The wall is one of the most enduring symbols of their spirit.
There's no man-made structure on earth that approaches the sheer scope of our number two architectural wonder, the Great Wall of China.
Here's a bit of trivia. If it crossed the United States, it would stretch from New York City to Dallas, Texas.
When we return, the number one architectural wonder in the world. What's left? Think about it.
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In a few moments, letters and comments from you.
But first, the first.
The number one architectural wonder on A&E Top Ten.
Admittedly, each structure is the physical manifestation of the culture which produced it.
Well, in ancient Egypt, the pharaohs believed they were living gods who would join the other gods in the afterlife.
To prepare for their final resting place, they built colossal houses of death.
Exactly how they built them remains a mystery to this day.
But their massive construction and their profound impact on both secular and religious history
earned the Great Pyramids of Egypt the distinction of being the number one architectural wonder on A&E Top Ten.
For over 4,000 years, the Pyramids of Giza have risen above the sand-swept Sahara
like great stone mountains.
The three pyramids on this elaborate burial ground are built on the west bank of the River Nile in northern Egypt.
The setting sun serves as a reminder of the inevitability of death.
What list of architectural wonders could omit the pyramids at Giza?
I'm thinking particularly of the Great Pyramid of Cheops, built about 2,500 years before the Common Era.
It is believed all of the pyramids were built to house and honor the dead pharaohs.
But the largest and most complex is the Great Pyramid, the Cheops.
Because of the pyramid's sophisticated design and construction,
many New Age theorists claim it was built with extraterrestrial help.
More likely, it was the blood, sweat, and ultimately the lives of tens of thousands of slaves,
as well as builders and masons who made this superstructure a reality.
When it was built, it was 480 feet tall.
For 43 centuries, it remained the tallest human structure ever made.
It still boggles our imagination.
We do not, to this day, fully understand how such a building was constructed.
Over a period of 30 to 40 years, an estimated 2,300,000 stones,
averaging 2.5 tons apiece, were painstakingly hauled on log rollers and sleds and then ramped into place.
Stretching to the heavens, this 6.5 million ton edifice of limestone and granite
is considered the most precisely built pyramid of all.
It is almost geometrically pure, and for that reason, I think it will always have a potency in our imagination.
How such precision was achieved using simple measuring rods and cords
remains one of the world's most enduring mysteries.
We don't fully understand the geometries and its relation to the sun,
but we know that there was some symbolic and ritualistic relationship
of how the building or the structure was placed
to the angle of the sky and the movement of the stars in the heavens.
The Great Pyramid is a continuing source of awe-inspiring beauty,
one of the most potent expressions of power ever.
By comparison, enough materials were used to build 35 Empire State buildings
and still have a few tons left over.
The Great Pyramid is the only remaining structure of the seven wonders of the ancient world to survive today.
The scope of its scientific and aesthetic achievement is unparalleled.
Another reason why the Pyramids of Giza rank as our number one architectural wonder of all time.
From 10 to 1, the great architectural wonders, each one distinct,
yet all of them have had an impact that transcends time.
Well, that's our Top 10. Would you have added any others?
Why don't you let us know by email? Here's where you can find our website.
When we return, some viewer response to previous shows and a final update of this week's countdown.
Mom, I'm home!
I'm on the computer, downloading some chicken recipes.
Oh, really?
With Stouffer's skillet sensations, the only ingredient you need is a skillet.
Complete meals including me.
I can almost smell it.
Mom!
Oh, I'm so impressed.
Stouffer's skillet sensations.
Uncle Joe and the beige carpet.
Sooner or later, you'll need Resolve carpet cleaner.
You love seafood? We love seafood.
Let's meet at our place tonight and go overboard.
Red Lobster, go overboard.
On the next Biography Close-Up...
The adrenaline factor in sports is exactly the same as the adrenaline factor in politics.
What was the toughest part about running?
Bottom line, not enough money.
So you want to be president on Biography Close-Up tomorrow on A&E.
AARP is an organization for people who are...
Out to pasture.
All washed up.
And for everyone who's...
Over the hill.
AARP, we're a little different than you might think.
Sure, our members are putting their feet up, but they're definitely not retiring.
They're just like you. They're in their 50s.
They're fit, fun, and ready for more.
Call now to become a part of AARP.
Membership is just $10.
With your membership, you'll get a subscription to a great magazine.
You'll also get all kinds of information on finances, health, fitness, and nutrition.
And benefits, too, like investment opportunities and insurance programs.
Join today for $10 and your spouse becomes a member free.
So if you're 50-year-old, call now and join.
With your membership card, you can even take advantage of an AARP discount or two.
Which is nice when you're riding off into the sunset.
And welcome back.
Let's take a final look now at our top 10 countdown of the greatest architectural wonders.
Experts consider Frank Lloyd Wright's falling water the preeminent example of his organic architecture.
It leads off our list at number 10.
At number 9, Machu Picchu holds fascination and mystery.
Some think it's even a beacon for aliens.
The Empire State Building, an art deco marvel and a representation of American know-how on a grand scale, rises to number 8.
At number 7, the Acropolis of Athens holds visitors in awe more than 2,000 years after it was built.
The Roman Colosseum, with its brutal history, is continually being restored.
But even in partial ruins, it still stands at number 6.
Millions have crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, but it's not a suspension of disbelief that we rank at number 5.
Nearly demolished several times, the Eiffel Tower escaped the wrecking ball and deserves to stand tall at number 4.
Built as a grand expression of undying love, the passion behind the Taj Mahal makes it a worthy choice for number 3.
The sheer magnitude of the Great Wall of China demands attention from us. Visit it if you can. It's our number 2 choice.
And finally, the Great Pyramids of Giza sit at the pinnacle of our list.
Here lies history, engineering, and stunning beauty all shrouded in mystery.
These Egyptian tombs are set in stone as the number 1 architectural wonder of the world.
We've encouraged your responses after each show, and you've obliged by emailing our website.
Here's a sampling of your reaction.
We've received a whole playroom full of emails since our Top 10 Toys show aired.
Here are some more of your picks for our list.
He's as much a part of bedtime as pajamas, and he's great to take with you anywhere.
Named after the 26th President of the United States, the teddy bear.
Morgan emailed us, what child does not cling to a plush bear?
And Tady added, I mean, come on, everyone loves stuffed animals. They're great to cuddle when you're lonely.
While we snuggled down with our teddies, too, the venerable bear did not make our list
because teddy bears are more of a whole category of toys than a specific item.
Still, other viewers wanted to know what happened to that special spud, Mr. Potato Head.
Our email from BJTheGirls read, I still have the one I got as a 5-year birthday gift.
While Mr. Potato Head did score points for versatility, he simply did not rank high enough to make our list.
So keep those emails coming. We love hearing from you.
That's it on this edition of A&E Top Ten.
Keep writing and watching for our next countdown. I'm Andrea Joyce.
And I'm Rob Weller. Thanks for joining us.
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In the pursuit of justice, heroes are born in the blink of an eye on Law & Order tonight beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern.
Now, the unexplained is next on A&E.