Lighthouse Day

Lighthouse Day is August 7th

National Lighthouse Day celebrates America’s lighthouses. On August 7, 1789 the US Congress approved an act to establish lighthouses, beacons, buoys, and piers. This made sea travel much easier for people of the time. Before advanced GPS systems, lighthouses were absolutely necessary along jagged coastlines. And many of those lighthouses are still operational today. They prevent tons of shipwrecks that can occur when seafarers can’t see the coast because of dark or stormy conditions.

Lighthouses can be found in every coastal state, and even some landlocked states (large lakes and rivers sometimes have lighthouses too). Some of them have museums attached that inform visitors about the history of the lighthouse and many of them allow you to climb to the top. You can celebrate this holiday by visiting a lighthouse near you and witnessing how amazing they are for yourself.