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Eiffel Tower facts

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Eiffel Tower facts

Eiffel Tower facts

  • The Eiffel Tower was originally intended for Barcelona rather than Paris. Civic leaders in the Spanish capital felt the tower would be an expensive eyesore, which led designer Gustave Eiffel to pitch the idea to Paris instead.

  • Despite being one of the tallest and most ambitious structures ever created by mankind, the Eiffel Tower was supposed to be a temporary structure to accompany a single event: the International Exhibition of Paris of 1889. The plan was to completely disassemble it straight afterwards. Talk about a faff.

  • Austrian tailor Franz Reichelt wins the prize for most foolish misuse of the Eiffel Tower. In 1912, in front of the world's press, he attempted to prove the efficiency of his new "coat-parachute" by donning the awkward garment and leaping off the Eiffel Tower. He plummeted to his death as crowds looked on in baffled horror. It would be funny if it wasn't so tragic.

  • The Tower looked very different between 1925 and 1934. During these nine years, the word "Citroen" was written in massive letters down three of its four sides. It remains one of the biggest advertising spaces of all time.

  • When Paris fell to the Nazis in World War Two, some spirited Frenchmen cut the lift cables in the Eiffel Tower so that Hitler would be forced to climb the steps to reach the top. Later, before his empire fell, Hitler ordered the Tower destroyed – but his General in Paris disobeyed him.

  • You won't notice unless you know they're there, but 72 names are engraved on the sides of the Tower just beneath the first balcony. Gustav Eiffel chose the names, which honour French engineers, scientists, astronomers, and many other people we've never heard of.
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