The Eiffel Tower, also known as ‘La Tour Eiffel’ in French, was the focal point of the 1889 Paris Exposition (or World’s Fair).The tower stands at a height of 984 ft (300 m). It stands on a 17 ft (5 m) high foundation, with a television antenna atop the tower, giving it a total height of 1,063 ft (324 m).Until the Chrysler Building in New York City was topped off and finally completed in 1929, the Eiffel Tower was the world’s highest skyscraper. It was built to mark and celebrate the centennial year of the Great French Revolution and to showcase France’s industrial superiority to the rest of the globe.The Eiffel Tower was erected by French engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose firm specialized in metal frames and construction, between 1887 and 1889. The Eiffel Tower is at 5, Ave. Anatole, France, in the seventh arrondissement of Paris, on the Champ de Mars.Many metallic structures in Europe were designed by Gustave Eiffel, including the Porto Viaduct in Portugal, the Viaduct de Garabit in France, and the Budapest Railway Station (Hungary).Gustave Eiffel’s company, which was based in Levallois Perret, near Paris, France, also constructed the metal framework for another famous monument - the Statue of Liberty (New York, United States). It was designed by Auguste Bartholdi and given to the United States as a gift by France to mark and celebrate the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence in 1886.The Eiffel Tower was initially erected for the 1889 Paris World’s Fair as one of the principal attractions. The World’s Fair that year spanned the whole Champ de Mars in Paris, with the focus on the massive iron and steel structures that represented the era’s immense industrial achievement.The construction started in January 1887 and was finished on March 31, 1889. Eiffel got his Legion of Honour award at the summit.If you like this article about the Eiffel Tower, you may find it interesting to read these articles: fun facts about Paris and is Paris in France here at Kidadl.HistoryThe Eiffel Tower, or Tour Eiffel in French, is a Parisian icon as well as a technological marvel in the history of building construction.A competition for ideas for a suitable monument was established when the French government was planning the International Exposition of 1889 to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution.The history of the Eiffel Tower has not been simple. Many people were against the structure at the time, and some even expressed their displeasure in a letter titled ‘Artists Against Mr. Eiffel’s Tower’. They argued the skyscraper posed a danger to the exquisite essence of Paris.Despite the uproar, the iron tower survived. The construction took two years. The earliest drawings for the project were finished in June 1884. When the project began, it was determined that the Convention’s license rights for the tower’s construction would last just 20 years, after which the tower would be demolished.During the first half of 1884, Maurice Koechlin (a famous Swiss structural engineer), along with Emile Nouguier (French civil engineer and architect), were both hired by Gustave Eiffel’s company to assist with the tower’s design; they created the very first drawn outline of the structure. They described the structure as a massive pylon with four lattice girders.For 127 years, the most famous tourist attraction in Paris has stretched to the Parisian skies. It wasn’t supposed to survive, despite its status as a symbol of France. Without question, the Universal Exposition of 1889 was a watershed moment in the history of the Eiffel Tower.An iron tower constructed in the middle of Paris was deemed inappropriate since it stood in sharp contrast to the grace and polished beauty of the city. For example, Verlaine, gave the Eiffel Tower the moniker ‘Skeleton of Beffroi’ to emphasize the tower’s ungainly form, which was certain to ‘disfigure’ the city, in his opinion.Thomas Edison and his family were welcomed to Gustave Eiffel’s private residence at the top of the new tower in 1889. During the Universal Exposition, however, 2 million visitors visited the tower.As a result of its great achievement, the structure became a symbol of French industrial strength. During the Universal Exposition of 1900, the tower was just as popular. Gustave Eiffel went to tremendous pains to show the tower’s scientific value in order to escape its demolition.Scientific experiments in astronomy and physiology were carried out, but the tower’s use as a radio antenna tower saved it in the end, first for military communications and then for permanent radiotelegraphy communications; indeed, the tower served many purposes during the First World War.Now, the Eiffel Tower is a major historical landmark in France. The Eiffel Tower attracts about 7 million visitors each year from other countries.ConstructionEngineers, together with Eiffel and a French architect named Stephen Sauvestre, had been attempting to build a 1000 ft (300 m) high tower since the mid-19th century, following the emergence of a technological revolution made achievable by the French Revolution.Stone and cement would not be able to withstand the pressure of such a monument. Hence, this problem could not be met with traditional or existing technology. Eiffel’s building principles were straightforward. From the largest beam to the tiniest rivet, the metal pieces at his Levallois-Perret factories had to be built according to the exact designs of the design office’s designers.These sections were temporarily riveted together to produce elements that satisfied a basic criterion: they had to weigh less than 6,614 lb (3,000 kg). The assemblers then took over, collecting the components on the site and putting them together definitively.On January 28, 1887, the foundations were laid, signaling the start of the project. They were constructed with a shovel and human arms. Steam engines or horse-drawn carriages were used to transport the excavated material. The four foundations were launched roughly simultaneously and proceeded at a similar rate.The deepest dive only goes down to 49 ft (15 m). The pressure on the floor of Eiffel’s tower did not surpass that of any structure. Therefore, the residents had nothing to fear from probable land changes, according to Eiffel’s estimates. Of course, ground pressure calculations were conducted, and these may be found on the page that explains the bases.Each pillar, however, was distinct from the others. Because they were near the Seine, pillars one and four on the Seine side had to be the subject of drilling wells. To solve the problem, Eiffel employed sheet metal casing sunk 16 ft (5 m) below the sea level, a method that had previously been used on other sites, such as compressed air foundations.On the Champs-de-Mars side, the other two pillars experienced no such issues. The foundations were large concrete blocks (called massifs) meant to support the weight of the four masonry bases, which in turn supported the mass of the metal structure. The crossbowmen used these buried concrete blocks as a starting point.The primary phases of the tower’s construction began on December 7, 1887, with the intersection of the four pillars on the first floor, where the post office is located. The construction ended on March 31, 1889, with the tricolor flag crashing at the top of the tower, signaling the tower’s completion.FeaturesThe puddled iron (worked iron) of the Eiffel Tower weighs 8,047 ton (7,300 met ton), with elevators, shops, and antennae raising the total weight to about 11,133 ton (10,100 met ton).Many people were taken aback by the tower’s audacious design when it was first erected. Eiffel was accused of attempting to make something aesthetic while disregarding engineering standards.However, Eiffel and his crew, who had previously built bridges, recognized the importance of wind forces and realized that if they were going to create the world’s tallest building, they had to make sure it could resist them.The first floor formerly housed three restaurants—one French, one Russian, and one Flemish—as well as an Anglo-American champagne bar. The Flemish restaurant was turned into a 250-seat theater when the fair ended.There were labs for various research at the top and a tiny apartment dedicated to Gustave Eiffel to entertain guests, which is currently available to the public for visiting and showcases period furnishings and life-like mannequins of Eiffel and some of his prominent guests.Throughout the tower’s history, the layout of the elevators has been altered multiple times. Because of the elasticity of the cables and the time it takes to line the cars with the landings, each elevator takes an average of 530 seconds to complete the round journey, with 75 seconds spent at each level. The average time spent traveling between levels is 60 seconds.In honor of their contributions to the construction of the tower, Gustave Eiffel carved the names of 72 French scientists, engineers, and mathematicians on the tower. Because he was concerned about the artists’ protest, Eiffel selected this ‘invocation of science.‘To complement the Parisian sky, the tower is painted in three tones, brighter at the top and darker nearer to the bottom. It used to be reddish-brown, but in 1968 it was transformed to a bronze color known as ‘Eiffel Tower Brown.‘The tower is maintained by applying 66.1 ton (60 met ton) of paint every seven years to keep it from rusting. Since its construction, the tower has been entirely repainted at least 19 times. Lead paint was still being used as recently as 2001, when it was banned due to environmental concerns.More Fun Facts About The Eiffel TowerHere are some more fun facts for you!Gustave Eiffel built the tower using latticed wrought iron to show that metal could be as robust as stone while being lighter.The interior frame for the famous Statue of Liberty was also designed by Eiffel.In 1889, the Eiffel Tower was built for 7,799,401.31 French gold francs, or nearly $1.5 million.The Eiffel Tower touches the Parisian sky, standing at a height of 1,063 ft (324 m), including the antenna on top. It’s 984 ft (300 m) without the antenna.The Chrysler Building in New York became the world’s tallest structure when it was finished in 1929 and the last part was added on top. Until that moment, the Eiffel Tower held that record.The tower was designed to swing somewhat in the wind, but the sun had a greater impact on it. The top of the tower slides as much as 7 in (18 cm) away from the Sun when the Sun-facing side warms up. In addition, the Sun causes the Eiffel Tower to expand by around 6 in (15 cm).The Eiffel Tower is 11,133 ton (10,000 met ton) in weight.The Eiffel Tower has a total of 5 billion lights.The tower is also known in France as La Dame de Fer, or ’the Iron Lady.‘The first platform is 190 ft (54 m) above the ground, the second floor is 376 ft (114 m), and the top floor is about 900 ft (274 m) above the ground.The second floor of the Eiffel Tower is characterized as being awe-inspiring because that is when visitors first see Paris in all her glory. Also, the second floor is a culinary delight. The second floor also serves as the final halt before reaching the summit.The Eiffel Tower has 1,710 stairs and 108 stories. The first platform, however, is only accessible through steps.A single elevator in the Eiffel Tower goes 64,001 mi (103,000 km) in a year.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 145 facts about the eldest structure Eiffel tower in Paris, then why not take a look at arches in Paris, or facts about Paris.
The Eiffel Tower, also known as ‘La Tour Eiffel’ in French, was the focal point of the 1889 Paris Exposition (or World’s Fair).
