Interesting Facts About Eiffel Tower
About The Tower And Its Architect
When Eiffel Tower was inaugurated on March 31, 1889, nobody had imagined that this elaborate structure of steel would become France's national symbol and the most recognised icon of the modern age. The construction was completed in a period of two years, two months and two days.
Gustave Eiffel, a French engineer who specialised in revolutionary steel constructions, was the architect of Eiffel Tower. Eiffel was born in Dijon in 1832 and graduated from the Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures in 1855. He spent several years in the South West of France supervising work on the great railway bridge in Bordeaux. In 1864, he set up his own construction business, with metal structural work being his speciality.As a constructor, Eiffel has to his credit marvellous projects such as the Porto viaduct over River Douro, the Garabit viaduct, Pest railway station in Hungary, the dome of the Nice Observatory, and the ingenious structure of Statue of Liberty. Undoubtedly, it was Eiffel Tower which took his career to its peak.
Facts About The Tower
Currently, Eiffel Tower is the fifth-tallest structure in France. The mass of the total structure of the tower is 7300 tonnes. There are 1660 steps. For the public it is not possible to get to the summit by means of the stairs, elevators are necessary beyond the second platform.
The top of the tower can increase up to 18 centimetres due to thermal expansion of the metal on the side facing the sun. The tower also sways to six to seven centimetres due to wind.
Scientific Significance Of The Tower
Eiffel realised that the height of the tower could be utilised as an observatory. In 1889, he started using the peak of the tower as an observation station for the measurement of the wind speed. Other scientists also conducted experiments at the tower. Subsequent to experimentation in the sphere of meteorology, Eiffel began to observe the relationship and the effects of wind and air resistance. This science was later on classified as aerodynamics, which has now become an essential part of military and commercial aviation as well as rocket technology.
In 1910, Gustave Eiffel achieved extraordinary results in measuring the wind resistance of a flat plate by using the Eiffel Tower as a test platform. To overcome the lack of available measuring instruments, Eiffel proceeded on to a quest for more sophisticated knowledge of aviation which ultimately led to wind tunnel experiments.
In order to safeguard the tower from wear and tear, huge maintenance work is essential. This programme includes applying 50 to 60 tonnes of three graded tones of paint once every seven years to protect against rust. At each occasion when it is required to paint, the shade of paint is changed. Currently, the tower is painted with a shade of brownish-grey - the darkest layer is painted on the top which gets lighter towards the bottom.
Role Of Eiffel Tower In Communication
The Eiffel Tower has played a role in communication since the first decade of the preceding century. French radio, though regular transmission was started in 1922, maintained an aerial on the tower, and began transmissions from the tower in 1918. For FM (Frequency Modulation) and TV transmission, the Eiffel Tower has been an important platform since 1957.
Lee de Forest, a French engineer and scientist who wanted to pioneer wireless telephony, broadcasted a phonograph record show from the Eiffel Tower on January 12, 1908, for an audience of less than 50 people; the show was heard over 500 miles from the tower. This occasion is marked as the first ever experience of long-distance radio message transmission.
Eiffel Tower also has the distinction of being an active part of the first transatlantic and transcontinental radio telephone call. On October 21, 1915, radiotelephone communication was made between Naval radio station NAA at Arlington, Virginia and the Eiffel Tower.
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Comments
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Thank you for these very interesting facts about the Eiffel Tower is helped me out a lot because I am doing my social studies fair on the Eiffel Tower!!!! Very helpful
Thank you for these very interesting facts about the Eiffel Tower is helped me out a lot because I am doing my social studies fair on the Eiffel Tower!!!! Very helpful
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This really helped me in my project about paris
thank you for you information about Eiffel tower
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How many people know about Gheorghe Panculescu one Romanian engineer who was colaborate with Gustave Eiffel ?
Gheorghe P?nculescu (1844–1924) was a Romanian engineer born in the Romanian town V?lenii de Munte, district of Prahova, who designed the railway line between the capital city Bucharest and Predeal (1878). A less known fact is that P?nculescu's innovative system for joining the metal girders together which he invented while working on the designs for the railway line, inspired French engineer Gustave Eiffel's design for the 300m tall tower. Gustave adapted the technology used by P?nculescu of constructing metal sub-structures on the ground which would be assembled gradually to the tower. . Eiffel himself documented P?nculescu's contribution in his work titled 'Communication sur les travaux de la tour de 300 m' written in 1887
Very interesting
thanks help with my french project
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im doing a project on the Eiffle tower and this was very helpful
Helped with my homework
Adam... who ever u r. The eiffel tower is made from steel. It even said it
Loved the facts. The best info I ever had from workin on my project
nice. helped with my homework(:
Also, did you know that the Eiffel Tower used to be 12 meters shorter because a television tower was added after it was built?
The Eiffel Tower is built out of iron, not steel.
good but needs more on the history....i rate it 6/10
Im doing a research on the Eiffel Tower so if any one has any onfo please contact me at JaseannaHarrold@ymail.com thank you and have a nice day
i am doing a poject of the eiffel tower and this really help. i love the informtion. thanks a lot. i think i will get a 4 on it!but still thanks a lot
Thanks for the info, it helped me on my project!
i loved it i am doing a project and now i want to go there i skiped most of it cause my computer froze up :((
Very interesting, the workmen were painting the tower when I was there a few weeks ago, they were also re-wiring it judging by the large cable drums underneath the tower
i reallly loved this!(:
Great information about Eiffel, and the Eiffel Tower. Thanks a great deal. It is nice to go somewhere, see something intriguing, and then learn more about it. Thanks again.
after getting that much information, i fall in love with eiffil tower,and i want to visit the wonder of the world once in a life.
I was in Paris, France in the 70's. Of course, then, I had the opportunity of visiting the Eiffel Tower and it is an amazing sight!
eifffel tower is so amazing,beautifully constracted and in night is looking awsome
i like reading because i have a french project due monday about the eiffel tower so good for me to learn i mean really...........................
This site has good info.
But needs more facts to make it more interesting to read.
You need more interesting facts. Im in grade seven and doing a project and i think you should have more interesting facts for kids projects. "Just a suggestiion" :)
i really love the eiffel tower and this was very informative i hope to meet its bueaty one day this info is really good
fanx...really needed the info...this is really good...
I love the eiffel tower! This was very informative. I hope to visit it's beauty someday
hey i love the eiffel tower and i wish i could go there i m only 12 and i live in australia my cousinds live there and they say it very tall and beautiul and this year i am in yr 7 and i am doing a assigment about the eiffel tower i hope that i pass with all this information and guess wat ur information is intersting
Thanks a lot for this very informative facts about this lovely tower which i visited this summer 2009, indeed it was as a big expectation for me to visit Eiffel, and finally after a long years i could gain this opportunity,it's really great memory for me and i will keep it fresh for ever by the nice photos i made there and i wish every one can go to meet this great job,i recommend to go up to the peak with the elevator to enjoy more the pretty nice view of Paris, it worth to stay in long line for having the ticket ! may God bless the Eiffel, one who made this precious treasure for France. i really love it. thanks again.
This was very helpful. i'm doing a project on the Eiffel Tower and this heled a lot. Thank you very much!
i wasn't finish ok, now lets me say what i was going to say. i was going to say that i collect little eiffel towers ,so i enjoyed this jajaja.
i
very informative. nicely polished. A+++
I collect little Eiffel Towers, so I enjoyed this!
Thanks for sharing some facts about Eiffel tower,its quite informative.
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