Eiffel Tower

A wrought-iron lattice tower in Paris, completed in 1889 for the Exposition Universelle. Designed by engineers at Gustave Eiffel’s company, it became a defining landmark of the city.

Wrought iron: A malleable iron produced by refining pig iron, valued for its toughness and resistance to corrosion. The tower’s lattice members were made from this material.
Exposition Universelle (1889): A world’s fair held in Paris from May to October 1889 to mark the centenary of the French Revolution. The exposition commissioned the tower as its monumental entrance feature.
Tourism in Paris: The travel industry and visitor activity centered on France’s capital and its cultural attractions. The tower became one of Paris’s most visited paid attractions.
Manifesto of the 300: An 1887 protest signed by artists and writers opposing the planned Eiffel Tower in Paris. The petition captured prominent resistance to the tower’s construction.
Construction of the Eiffel Tower: The 1887–1889 building project that assembled the tower’s iron framework in Paris. Its rapid construction demonstrated the precision of the company’s prefabrication and assembly methods.
Lattice tower: A tall structure formed from connected bars arranged in an open framework. The tower’s open framework distributes loads while limiting material and wind resistance.
Gustave Eiffel: A French civil engineer and entrepreneur whose company built bridges, viaducts, and the Eiffel Tower. His company contracted to build the tower from its engineers’ design.
Radio transmission: The sending of information through electromagnetic radio waves from a transmitter to receiving equipment. Its height made the tower useful for wireless experiments and broadcasting.
Belle Époque: A period of relative peace and cultural, scientific, and economic flourishing in France from the late nineteenth century to 1914. The completed tower became an emblem of Paris during this era.
Eiffel Tower inauguration: The public opening of the Eiffel Tower on 31 March 1889, followed by its opening to visitors during the exposition. The inauguration marked the completion of the structure before the fair opened.

Linked from 12 pages