For centuries the lighthouse was the sailor's most trusted friend along a dangerous coast. Built on headlands, reefs, and lonely islands, each one sent out a distinct pattern of flashes so that a captain could tell exactly which light he was seeing and fix his position. Early beacons burned wood or coal in open braziers, later replaced by oil lamps and then by powerful electric lights focused through Fresnel lenses that could be seen from thirty kilometers away. Keepers lived in the tower with their families, trimming wicks, polishing glass, and climbing the spiral stairs in every kind of weather.
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