Eiffel Tower Opens: Paris Unveils Its Iron Giant
Gustave Eiffel's iron tower opened to the public on May 6, 1889, as the entrance arch to the Exposition Universelle celebrating the centennial of the French Revolution. At 984 feet, it was the tallest structure in the world, surpassing the Washington Monument by 529 feet. Construction took two years and two months using 2.5 million rivets and 7,300 tons of iron. The tower was designed to stand for only 20 years and was saved from demolition because it proved invaluable as a radio transmission antenna. A petition of 300 prominent Parisians, including Guy de Maupassant and Alexandre Dumas fils, protested its construction as a "metal asparagus." Maupassant reportedly ate lunch at the tower's restaurant daily because it was the only place in Paris where he couldn't see it.
May 6, 1889
137 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Paris
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Eiffel Tower
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Exposition Universelle (1889)
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Eiffel Tower
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Exposition Universelle (1889)
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Geschichte von Paris
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World's fair
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Champ de Mars
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Jardins du Trocadéro
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Muelle de Orsay
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Río Sena
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Maschinenhalle Paris
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