In the 1880s, the Eiffel Company was known worldwide for its expertise in metal structures.  Under the direction of the sculptor Bartholdi, it created the armature for the Statue of Liberty, which France gave to the United States in 1885 and has lit up the world ever since. 

With the approach of the 1889 Universal Exposition, Koechlin, aided by his collegue Nouguier, started to play with the idea of a metal tower along the lines of an obelisk.  They sketched out dozens of designs, did research, and hooked up with an architect who drew up their plans on a large scale.  They presented their project to Gustave Eiffel, who decided to join the project, and in the end asked the two inventors to give him the rights to the creation.  In December 1884, in exchange for taking over the costs of construction, the two engineers signed a document that gave Eiffel legal rights and authorship of the project.  This agreement also gave the two engineers 1 percent of any subsequent profits. 

As compensation, Gustave Eiffel poured his heart and soul into the project.  His efforts to turn their dream into reality met with considerable—now legendary—resistance from public officials, but eventually Eiffel’s hard labor paid off and the tower was built. 

During construction the Iron Lady provoked strong emotions.  Fans and foes engaged in passionate arguments.  A group of artists published a manifesto in the newspaper Le Temps demanding that it be dismantled immediately.  Indignant, they denounced “the useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower,” calling it a “horror.”  The poet Verlaine said it looked like the “skeleton of a belfry,” and the writer Huysmans called it a “giant suppository riddled with holes.”   Huysmans’ tirade included ornithological riffs like “hideous metallic pylon,” “horrible aviary,” “hollow candelabra,” and “the steeple of Our Lady of the Flea Market.” 

This outpouring of imaginative descriptions ensued until the praises left in the visitors’ guestbook made it clear that the public was of a different opinion.  The tower’s visitors were very enthusiastic:  one decided to name her daughter “Eiffeline,” while another claimed to have been able to see swallow’s backs from the top of the structure.   On March 31, 1889, the French flag was raised atop the completed Eiffel Tower—the tallest monument in the world at that time. 

As soon as it was constructed, the Eiffel Tower inspired both artists and daredevils.  Over the years, the structure collected world records in sports and derring-do, as well as many artistic homages. 


May 15, 1889.  The Eiffel Tower opens to the public and receives 28,922 visitors in one week, even though at the time guests were required to climb the stairs to get to the second floor. 

September 9, 1889.  Sylvan Dornon, a baker from the Landes region, climbs the 347 stairs to the first floor on stilts (after having walked from Paris to Moscow on stilts in March of the same year). 

October 31, 1889.  The end of the Universal Exposition.   During the expo, the Iron Lady received almost two million guests, and many famous names signed the guestbook, including George I of Greece, the Shah of Persia, the Price of Wales, Price Baudoin, the Tsarevich, the son of the Emperor of Japan, etc.  Rousseau wrote a three-act vaudeville play in the tower’s honor. 

October 19, 1901.  Alberto Santos-Dumont circles the tower in his blimp and wins

1902.  Henri Rivière creates 36 lithographs of the Eiffel Tower in the style of Japanese prints.  The lithographs show the tower as seen from different Parisian neighborhoods. 

November 26, 1905.  227 competitors race up stairs to the second floor in the Staircase Championship organized by the daily newspaper Le Sport.   The winner, Forestier, does it in 3 minutes and 12 seconds, and wins a Peugeot bicycle. 

1907.  A radio link is established between the Eiffel Tower and America.  A giant clock with 6-meter-high numbers is installed on the Eiffel Tower. 

1910.  Robert Delaunay paints a cubist portrait of the Tour Eiffel.  He subsequently painted over 30 other pictures of the Iron Lady. 

February 4, 1912.  An Austrian tailor, Franz Reichelt, with limited piloting experience, jumps off the first floor of the Eiffel Tower with a parachute that he sewed out of a large raincoat.  The jump lasted five seconds and was filmed before a live audience.  His autopsy showed that by the time he reached the ground, he was already dead from a heart attack. 

June 2, 1923.  Pierre Labri, journalist, rides down the staircase on a bicycle from the first floor to win a bet.  Having accomplished this feat without permission from the authorities, he was greeted on the ground by the police, who were unimpressed by his explanations.   

1923.  The filmmaker René Clair shoots a 14-minute documentary entitled La Tour that shows the tower from every angle—a true declaration of love for the Old Lady. 

1925.  André Citroën comes up with the idea of spelling out the name Citroën vertically in giant letters down the side of the Eiffel Tower, creating a giant Art Deco advertisement. 

1930.  The Chrysler Building is inaugurated in New York; the Eiffel Tower is no longer the highest monument in the world. 

1939. Monseigneur Chaptal, bishop of Paris, presides over a mass celebrated at the Eiffel Tower; a gala dinner is given in honor of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.  The same year, 19-year-old Jacqueline Vialle, 1.85 meters (6 ft) tall, is elected Miss Eiffel Tower. 

June 4, 1948.  The director of the Bouglione Circus decides to celebrate the 85^th birthday of his favorite elephant by having her climb up the tower via staircase.  Apparently, the elderly pachyderm did not appreciate this macho idea—she refused to go one step further than the first floor. 

June 6, 1952.  Trapeze artist Rose Gold demonstrates her skills 118 meters above the ground without a net. 

1957.  The third floor is reconstructed to house a new antenna; the Eiffel Tower is now 320.75 meters (1,052 feet) tall. 

1959.  The tower’s 35 millionth visitor wins a Simca automobile.  Unfortunately, the winner is only 10 years old and neither of his parents has a driver’s license.  

September 25, 1962.  The film The Longest Day opens.  Edith Piaf sings from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower in front of an audience of 25,000.  At the end of the show, there is a fireworks display using 1,500 rockets.

May 1964.  Mountain climbers Guido Magnone and René Desmaison climb the tower to celebrate its 75^th birthday. 

1965.  An elevator with a capacity of 110 persons is installed in the north pillar.

December 2, 1969.  An ice-skating rink is installed on the second floor.   During the inauguration, a bear from the Moscow Circus is given the honor of being the first to skate on it. 

1977.  Golfer Arnold Palmer hits golf balls from the 2^nd floor of the Eiffel Tower. 

December 1, 1983. 20 sections of the spiral staircase that was used to access the second and third floors during construction are auctioned off.  Some pieces were given to French museums. 

1986.  Installation of gold-hued lighting on the Eiffel Tower using compact fluorescent light bulbs. 

1989.  The tightrope walker Philippe Petit walks from the second floor of the Eiffel Tower to the Trocadéro esplanade on a 760-meter-long cable. 

December 14, 1994.  A young Indian named Mimi-Siku climbs the Eiffel Tower with his bare hands in the film Un indien dans la ville (Little Indian, Big City). 

1995.  The Eiffel Tower is repainted by 25 mountain climbers using 60 metric tons of paint. 

January 1, 2000. After a 1,000-day countdown, a giant digital calendar on the Eiffel Tower shows the first day of the new millennium, without any Y2K mishaps.  

June 2003.  The Eiffel Tower now twinkles for several minutes each hour after nightfall.  The twinkling lights, which use compact fluorescent bulbs, follow the Daylight Savings Time changes.

May 26, 2004.  Xavi Casas climbs up to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower twice on a cross-country bicycle without a seat (he goes back down on the elevator without getting off his bike between the two climbs) and smashes the world record with a time of 34 minutes and 31 seconds. 

May 29, 2010.  World roller blade champion Taïg Kris establishes a world record for jumping with a jump of 12.5 meters off the front of the Eiffel Tower, landing perfectly on an access ramp on the ground. 

© Photos Hélène Loiré - A Paris ou Ailleurs
Boutique hotels and designer Bbs in Paris, Business hotels and Secret places