1. The Eiffel Tower

2. In the beginning…
The tower was erected for the Paris Exposition of 1889; Exposition Universelle in French—the Paris World’s Fair.
The Paris Exposition of 1889 was the Centennial of the French Revolution.
The Constuction Period was from January to March 1889—two years, two months, 5 days.
The tower was inaugurated on March 31, 1889.

3. Engineering
Base of the Tower is on 4 piers which hold names of the four cardinal points
Each main support rests on blocks of masonry, masonry rests on beds of concrete
Concrete beds cover 60 square meters
In the center of each—iron bars (25 ft, 6 in long & 4 in thick) unite the masonry by clamps
To ensure the Tower was level, Eiffel left room for hydraulic presses at the angles of each pier

4. History
So many people visited the Tower in it’s 1st year that all almost all construction costs were recovered w/ticket sales
Tower was slated to only stand for 20 years, but after 20 years, it proved to be a valuable communication tool for radio broadcasting
Tallest structure in the world at original construction
When Paris fell to the Nazis in WW2, French rebels cut the cables to the elevator so Hitler had to climb stairs

5. History, cont.
Eiffel used open latticework of wrought iron to help the Tower hold up to wind gusts.
Wanted wind to blow through the Tower, not against it.
Even during strong winds, the Tower never sways more than 4.5 inches.

6. Tourism To use the stairs to the 1st & 2nd floor it is 4,00 Euro
To go all the way to the top in the elevator it is 12,00 Euro—cheaper if we are in a group
The Tower opens at 9:30 am, and the stairs close earlier than the elevator—last lift at 11 pm
To reach the top of the Tower (276 meters), visitors must take another elevator from the second floor.

7. Interesting Tidbits
Engineers of the project were: Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier.
Stephen Sauvestre was the architect.
Gustave Eiffel was the contractor.
Number of Iron Workers = 300
Number of Workers Killed in Construction = 1
Rivets = 2,500,000
Iron Pieces = 18,038

8. Interesting Tidbits, cont.
Height = meters (986 ft)
+/- 15 cm depending on temperature
1st level = 57 m
2nd level = 115 m
3rd level = 276 m
Height w/ antenna = m (1052 ft)
Weight = 7,000 tons
1000 tons removed during renovation in 1990s
Base = 412 sq. ft (2.5 acres)
Paint = 50 tons every 7 years
Paint color is actually Dark Brown
Use 3 different colors—dark to light

9. Tower under construction—April 1888

10. Tower under construction—July 1888

11. Tower under construction—December 1888

12. Completed—May 1889

14. Sources Discover France! Website
The Eiffel Tower: A Classic of Engineering
The Science News-Letter, Vol. 18, No (aug. 16, 1930), pp
Other websites: