The 19th century saw a surge of culture and industry exhibitions throughout Europe, and the first one of these grand World Fairs was the Great Exhibition of 1851. Logically, it had to be held in a place fitting to its grandeur, and so The Crystal Palace was built. Located in London, which was the world’s cultural capital at the time, the palace was a Victorian-style, cast-iron and plate-glass structure.
Originally built in the famous Hyde Park, it was relocated to a hill in south London after the exhibition. The Crystal Palace was a massive structure, covering an astounding 92,000 sq. meters. Sadly, this architectural marvel and tourist attraction was destroyed by a fire in 1936.
The Lighthouse of Alexandria
Built in 280 B.C., the Lighthouse of Alexandria, also known as the Pharos of Alexandria, was a majestic lighthouse in Alexandria, Egypt. The structure was built by the Ptolemaic Kingdom and would serve as a beacon until its destruction in 1480. The lighthouse is estimated to have been over 100 meters tall, meaning it was the tallest structure in the world for centuries.
It was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. However, a series of earthquakes in 956, 1303 and 1323 caused the lighthouse to eventually crumble to the ground. Its remains were only found centuries later by French archaeologists, in 1994, at the bottom of Alexandria's Eastern Harbour
The Buddhas of Bamyan
Created in the 6th century, the amazing Buddhas of Bamiyan were once one of Afghanistan's most prized possessions. The two massive Buddha statues were carved into the cliffs of the Bamyan Valley and stood 35 and 53 meters tall, respectively.
These beautiful monuments managed to survive Afghanistan's war-torn history, even making it through the horrifying rule of Genghis Khan. However, the Taliban proved to be their end, when in 2001, they decided to blow them up with dynamite. Obviously, being Islamic fundamentalists, they didn't want any Buddhist symbols on their land. But not all hope is lost, as Afghan groups are currently in talks with UNESCO to rebuild the beautiful Buddhist monuments.
The Aral Sea
People call what happened to the Aral Sea the world's most "dramatic" disappearing act. Located between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the Aral Sea used to be the fourth-largest lake in the world. But after an irrigation project started by the Soviet Union in the 1960s, all the rivers that fed the lake were diverted, causing it to dramatically shrink in size almost immediately.
This was a terrible disaster for the fisheries and local communities that depended on the body of water. The little water that was left became increasingly salty, and extremely polluted after pesticides and fertilizers seeped into it. Today, the once-beautiful Aral Sea is a haunting spot with poor soil and some old, decaying ships. In a final, desperate effort to save the lake, Kazakhstan built a dam, but sadly, the Aral Sea will never return to its former glory.
Uluru and its Fairy Shrimp
Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, is one of Australia's most famous landmarks. Located in the country's vast Northern Territory, it is a sandstone monolith that formed more than 550 million years ago. Once located at the bottom of the sea, it now stands at 348m above the ground.
Not only is this landmark considered a sacred and spiritual spot for Australia's indigenous people, it was once also home to the Branchinella Latzi, a rare species of fairy shrimp that was only found in the water pools on the Uluru. Sadly, the species vanished in the 1970s due to human waste that tourists had left behind over the years. Despite countless plights by the indigenous Anangu people asking tourists to stop climbing the Uluru, they have been consistently ignored.