Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower (French: Tour Eiffel) is a puddled iron tower built on the Champ de Mars, beside the River Seine, in Paris, France. It is the most famous Paris landmark and is used as a symbol of the city. At the time of its construction in 1889 it was the tallest building in the world, and remained so until 1930. Named after its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, it is a premier tourist destination, with over 5.5 million visitors per year.

Events

Father Theodor Wulf in 1910 took observations of radiant energy radiation at the top and bottom of the Eiffel Tower, discovering more than was expected at the top, and thereby detecting what are today known as cosmic rays.

Related Topics:
Father - Theodor Wulf - 1910 - Radiant energy - Radiation - Cosmic ray

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In 1925, the con artist Victor Lustig twice "sold" the Eiffel Tower for scrap.

Related Topics:
1925 - Victor Lustig

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In 1930, the Tower lost the title of the World's tallest structure when the Chrysler Building was completed in New York.

Related Topics:
1930 - Chrysler Building - New York

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From 1925 to 1934, illuminated signs for Citroën adorned three of the tower's four sides, making it the tallest billboard in the world at the time.

Related Topics:
1925 - 1934 - Citroën

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When Adolf Hitler visited occupied Paris in 1940, the lift cables were cut by the French so that he would have to climb the 1,665 steps to the summit - the part to repair them was allegedly impossible to obtain because of the war, though it was working again within hours of the departure of the Nazis. He chose to stay on the ground. A Frenchman also scaled the tower during the German occupation to hang the French flag.

Related Topics:
Adolf Hitler - Paris - 1940 - The war - Nazi

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On January 3, 1956 a fire damaged the top of the tower.

Related Topics:
January 3 - 1956

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In 1959 the present radio antenna was added to the top.

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In the 1980s an old restaurant and its supporting iron scaffolding midway up the tower was dismantled; this was purchased and reconstructed in New Orleans, Louisiana, originally as the Tour Eiffel Restaurant, more recently known as the Red Room.

Related Topics:
1980s - Restaurant - Iron - New Orleans, Louisiana

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In the year 2000, flashing lights and four high-power searchlights were installed on the tower. Since then the light show has become a nightly event. The searchlights on top of the tower make it a beacon in Paris' night sky.

Related Topics:
2000 - Searchlights - Sky

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The tower received its 200,000,000th guest on November 28, 2002.

Related Topics:
Tower - November 28 - 2002

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At 19:20 on July 22, 2003, a fire occurred at the top of the tower in the broadcasting equipment room. The entire tower was evacuated; the fire was extinguished after forty minutes, and there were no reports of injuries.

Related Topics:
July 22 - 2003 - Broadcasting

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