Eiffel Towel
The Eiffel Tower was built from 1887 to 1889 and it is made of iron, not steel. The tower is 330 metres tall, about the same height as an 81-storey building, and the tallest structure in Paris(tallest in the world from 1889 to 1930). Its base is square, measuring 125 metres on each side. The design of the Eiffel Tower is attributed to Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguier, two senior engineers working for the Compagnie des Établissements Eiffel.
Interesting information
There`s a penthouse apartment at the top. Gustave Eiffel reserved the uppermost level of the tower for himself, where he hosted famous guests like Thomas Edison in a private apartment that he designed. The space has since been transformed into a recreation of Eiffel's office, complete with wax figures of himself, his daughter, and Edison, and it's open for the public to tour.
The Eiffel Tower was supposed to be torn down after 20 years. The tower was built with the intent of showing off France's industrial prowess during the World's Fair, but the plan was to tear it down after 20 years. However, Eiffel cleverly put a radio antenna and wireless telegraph transmitter in the tower. After proving radio`s usefulness to the government in 1910, Eiffel was granted a 70-year extension to his lease. By 1980, of course, the tower had become an indelible symbol of both Paris and France, and it was in no danger of demolition.
The Eiffel Tower was almost destroyed during World War II. In August 1944, as the Nazis were losing control of occupied Paris, Adolf Hitler commanded his generals to level the city. Plans were drawn up to mine the Eiffel Tower with explosives. Thankfully, Allied troops swooped in before the order could be carried out. Subsequent air raids over Paris caused significant damage, but the Eiffel Tower survived the war intact.
It takes a lot of work to keep the Eiffel Tower looking good. Every seven years, workers apply around 60 tons of paint to the tower. This not only keeps La Dame de Fer looking good, but it also helps keep the iron from rusting.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article. You can test how well you now know about the Eiffel Tower. It would be nice to get a discount on tickets for correct answers ... but who knows, maybe in the future it will be like that 😉