Eiffel Tower Fun Facts and Gifts

The Eiffel Tower is one of the most easily recognized structures in Paris, but it hasn't always been universally loved. Find out more Eiffel Tower Fun Facts, Eiffel Tower history

Eiffel Tower Gifts

Libby VanderPloeg Skyline Juice Glass	Rizzy Home White 20" X 20" Typography Poly Filled Pillow	Urban Playground Madilene Decorative Pillow
Designed by Libby VanderPloeg in collaboration with Anthropologie, this charming juice glass brings a playful twist to your breakfast	Rizzy homes decorative accent pillows are the easiest way to create your dream home.	If your little one dreams of Paris they will adore this pillow. Pink, purple, and blue detailed embroidery on a lavender ground. Add some French flair and have a bonne nuit. Made from super soft poly.

Paris In Bloom Shower Curtain	Interdesign Cityscapes Paris Graphic-Print 72" x 72" Shower Curtain	Decor Studio Paris 72" x 72" Faux-Linen Shower Curtain
A sketched image of the Eiffel Tower, set against transparent maps and surrounded by images of flowers and butterflies. Laural Home's "Paris in Bloom Shower Curtain" will add a bit of sophistication and charm to your bathroom. All of our products are digitally printed to create crisp, vibrant colors and images.	Add chic style and romantic appeal to your bath with the stylish Parisian graphics of this Cityscapes shower curtain from Interdesign.	Add some chic style and texture to your bath with the Parisian motif and rich faux-linen feel of this luxe shower curtain from JLA Home.

Godinger Traveler Champagne Glasses, Set of 4	Pimpernel Postcard Sketches Set of 6 Coasters	Martha Stewart Collection Steel Silver-Tone Bead Photo Album and Picture Frames
Four-piece champagne glasses set. Made of glass with nickel-plated stems of iconic buildings.	Bring worldly, well-traveled charm to your tables while protecting them from watermarks with the classic look of this six-piece set of Postcard Sketches coasters by Pimpernel.	Delicate beading in silver-tone steel add an elegant touch to this photo album from the Martha Stewart Collection. Perfect for displaying your cherished photos with graceful style.

Tour Eiffel Bracket	C'est Magnifique Wallpaper	City Trinket Dish
Iron	Retro-chic sketches capture the wonderment of Europe, from the Eiffel Tower in Paris to the double-decker buses of London to the gondoliers of Venice.	Handpainted stoneware

Eiffel Tower Fun Facts

• Engineer/builder: Gustave Alexandre Eiffel who also helped build the Statue of Liberty

• Height: 984 feet (1,051 feet with antenna addition for television transmission). When built, it was the worlds tallest structure. There are 3 platforms, 1,652 steps to climb to the top (there's also an elevator!).

• Dates: Built 1887-1889 for the World's Fair in 1889 which celebrated the centennial of the French Revolution 1789-1799.

• Construction: Cross-braced latticed girder for minimum wind resistance built of 7,000 tons of high quality wrought iron in 18,000 parts using 300 skyjacks and held together by 2.5 million rivets. It is one of the earliest examples of wrought iron construction of this magnitude.

• Weight: 7,000 tons. It takes 52 tons of paint every seven years to repaint it.

• Movement: the top never sways more than 4.5 inches even in the strongest winds, but the height can change 6 inches depending on the temperature.

• View: On a very clear day you can see 42 miles from the 3rd platform.

• Visitors: 6.9 million people visit the Eiffel tower each year.

• Lights: In 1900 gaslights were replaced by electric lights. Since 1985, 352 sodium lamps have given it a yellow light at night. In 2003, 20,000 bright white lights were added which will shine 10 minutes every hour on the hour from sunset until after midnight. It took 70 tons of equipment, 26 miles of electrical wiring, and a team of 40 mountaineers, architects and engineers, fighting high winds, snowstorms, pigeons and even bats (information from the New York Times).

• Ice skating: in 2005 an ice skating rink was opened for the first time.

• Looking Good: Every 7 years she gets a paint job--66 tons of paint in signature Eiffel Tower brown, 55 tons of paint erode between paintings, 25 painters work on the project, 18 months to complete, 31 miles of climbing rope, 2009 estimate is $5.29 million (St Petersburg Times 4.1.09)

Eiffel Tower history

The bold and unusual design caused considerable controversy. Many Frenchmen were vocal in their disapproval, including the famous: Charles Garnier, architect of the Opera; Gounod, composer; and writers Francois Coppee, Leconte de Lisle, Dumas the Younger, Maupassant. Others, Apollinaire, Cocteau, Pissarro, Dufy, Utrillo, Seurat, Marquet were strongly in favor. It was nearly torn down in 1909, but it's use for French radio telegraphy saved it. In 1916 it became the terminal for the first radio telephone service across the Atlantic. A meteorological station, radio communications station (1918), television transmission antenna (1957) and a suite of rooms used by Eiffel are located near the top.

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