Observed on Aug. 7, National Lighthouse Day honors the towers that turned coastlines into safer maps for mariners.
The date traces back to 1789, when the First Congress approved the Lighthouse Act, placing lighthouses, beacons, buoys and public piers under federal care. Lighthouses work by sending a visible signal with a specific color, height and flash pattern, helping sailors identify location, not just land. Fresnel lenses, introduced in the 1820s, made beams brighter by bending more light outward.
The Coast Guard maintains 48,000 navigation aids, including lighthouses, buoys and beacons, while historic lighthouses are managed by parks, towns or nonprofits.
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