First French Monument, Eiffel Tower
"La Tour Eiffel" in French, was the main exhibit of the Paris Exposition. It is located in Paris, France. The Eiffel Tower was named after engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Construction started in July 1887. It took about two years to complete the Eiffel Tower. It was done on March 31, 1889. It took about 18,000 pieces to build the tower. The tower required 2.5 million thermally assembled rivets and 7,300 tons of iron. The workers had to paint the tower, to protect it from elements. It took 60 tons of paint. The cost of the Eiffel Tower was 7,799,401.31 in French gold francs in 1889. The tower is 1,063 feet tall, including the antenna at the top. The tower was built to sway slightly in the wind. But, the sun affects it more. When the sun-facing side heats up the tower, the top moves as much as 7 inches from the sun. The tower weights 10,000 tons. There is 5 billion lights on the Eiffel Tower. The tower has 108 stories, with 1,710 steps. Steps will only lead to the first platform. Elevators will be used to get the the second and third platform. More than 7 million people visit the Eiffel Tower each year. Between the three platforms, there is two restaurants, several buffets, a banquet hall, a champagne bar, and many unique gift shops.
|