- Completion Date: The Eiffel Tower was completed on March 15, 1889, taking just over two years to build.
- Exposition Universelle: It was built as the entrance arch for the 1889 Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair) held in Paris to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.
- Tallest Man-Made Structure: Upon completion, the Eiffel Tower became the tallest man-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years until the completion of the Chrysler Building in New York.
- Named After the Engineer: It is named after Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower.
- Height: The Eiffel Tower stands approximately 330 meters tall, roughly the same height as an 81-story building. With its antennas included, it stands 324 meters tall.
- Three Levels: The Eiffel Tower has three levels that are accessible to the public. The first and second levels have restaurants, and the third level is an observatory.
- Paint: The Eiffel Tower is covered with 60 tons of paint every seven years to prevent it from rusting.
- Elevator Trips: The Eiffel Tower’s elevators travel a combined distance of over 103,000 kilometers a year.
- Initial Reactions: When it was first built, many Parisians and artists thought the tower was an eyesore. Some even demanded it be torn down.
- Temporary Installation: The Eiffel Tower was originally intended to stand for just 20 years.
- Radio Communications: The Eiffel Tower was reprieved from demolition when it was repurposed as a radio transmission tower.
- Visitors: The Eiffel Tower is one of the most visited monuments in the world, with millions of people visiting each year.
- Light Show: The Eiffel Tower is adorned with 20,000 light bulbs that sparkle for five minutes every hour during the evening.
- Wind Resistant: The Eiffel Tower was designed to be wind resistant and only sways a few inches in the wind.
- Steps: It takes 1,665 steps to reach the top of the Eiffel Tower by foot. However, visitors can only climb by foot to the second level.
- Color: The Eiffel Tower changes color every few years. It has been yellow and brown, but currently, it is bronze.
- Sold: A con artist named Victor Lustig “sold” the Eiffel Tower to a scrap metal dealer.
- Ice Rink: During the winter, there is an ice rink on the first level of the tower.
- Elevator: The original elevators were considered an engineering feat in the late 1800s.
- Artistic Inspiration: The Eiffel Tower has been the subject of numerous works of art, photographs, movies, and books, making it an iconic symbol of France.
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