Salt Lake Temple One of World’s Wonders

The Salt Lake Temple is one of the one hundred wonders of the world, according to the editors of Rand McNally’s Wonders of the World: A Guide to the Masterworks of Civilization.

The guide, published in 1991, defines a wonder as “something that arouses astonishment and awe.” The two-page entry describing the Salt Lake Temple includes a discussion on the temple’s construction as well as the history and plan of Salt Lake City and other points of interest on Temple Square.

“The fact that work started on the heavy task of building the Temple within six years of the first Mormons reaching the empty site of the future Salt Lake City says much for the settlers’ industry and resourcefulness and for Brigham Young’s genius for leadership,” the book states.

Other entries in the guide include Stonehenge, the Parthenon, the Kremlin, Versailles, the Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of China, the Great Pyramids, and Machu Picchu. Wonders from more current time periods include Virginia’s Monticello, the U.S. Statue of Liberty, Mt. Rushmore, the Empire State Building, and Toronto’s CN Tower.

Salt Lake Temple is listed among one hundred wonders of the world.