Eiffel Tower

For the 1889 World Fair celebrating the French Revolution’s centenary, the French government held a design competition for a monumental structure. Out of 100 entries, one stood out – a 300-meter (984-foot) open-lattice wrought iron tower from renowned bridge engineer Gustave Eiffel. Nothing like it had ever been built. It was twice the height of St. Peter’s dome and taller than the Great Pyramid of Giza. Eiffel’s radical design divided the public. Some were awestruck. Others were outraged. Artists called it “monstrous.” What few realized at the time was the significance the Eiffel Tower would hold decades on. And that Gustave Eiffel had far greater plans than creating just a tower to look at…