The Eiffel Tower is one of the most visited attractions in Paris, it opened 129 years ago today. The Eiffel Tower was supposed to be a temporary installation for the 1889 World Fair to commemorate 100 years of the French Revolution.
It was ultimately never taken down because an antenna was built at the top of the Tower to conduct wireless signals. The Eiffel Tower is still used today to beam radio and TV broadcasts around the world.
Here are some amazing facts about Eiffel Tower on should know:
1) The Eiffel Tower was going to be demolished in 1909, but was saved because it was repurposed as a giant radio antenna.
2) The Eiffel Tower is the most-visited paid monument in the world: 6.07 million people in 2018.
3) The Eiffel Tower was originally intended for Barcelona, Spain, but the project was rejected.
4) The height of the Eiffel Tower varies by 5.9 inches (15 cm) due to temperature changes.
5) 1,665 steps are needed to climb all the way to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
6) The Eiffel Tower is the tallest structure in Paris: 324 metres (1,063 ft) high.
7) At the time of its construction, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest building in the world.
8) There are 20,000 light bulbs on the Eiffel Tower.
9) There are over 30 replicas of the Eiffel Tower around the world.
10) 300 workers, 18,038 pieces of wrought iron and 2.5 million rivets were needed to build the Eiffel Tower.
