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INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE EIFFEL TOWER

The Eiffel Tower is a famous French monument which is visited by millions each and every year. There are several great facts about the Eiffel Tower you may or may not already know about. Here I will talk about some interesting facts all about the Eiffel Tower.

- The Eiffel Tower was not very welcomed by some and they even tried to petition the Tower not be built. They thought it would be a eyesore to the beauty Paris has to offer. Some even thought it would be in the way of the birds.

- The construction of the Eiffel Tower started in January 26, 1887 and completed on March 31, 1889. When it opened for the public the Prince of Wales was there to open it.

- It takes 1671 steps to get to the top.

- The total cost of the construction was $1.5 million dollars (American money) or $7.8 in French money.

- During World War II, the Germans hung a sign from the Eiffel Tower that simply
said, "Deutschland Siegt Auf Allen Fronten" which translated reads "Germany is victorious on all fronts".

- Originally the Eiffel Tower only had a permit to remain standing for twenty years. After the twenty years were up the Tower was almost torn down. Then they realized the Eiffel Towers antenna had helped with telegraphy and was allowed to stay standing since it helped with the communicating for everyone.

- When the Eiffel Tower was first constructed it was lighted only by gas. Then it used over 10,000 gas street lamps to light up and then it was converted to electrical lighting. It was shortened to only have to use 3,200 lamps after that. Since then other modifications have been made to the lightening methods.

- The Tower stands at 985 feet, 11 inches tall. When you include the antenna it stands at 1052 feet, 4 inches tall.

- The Tower uses over 7.5 million kilowatts of electricity each and every year.

- The Tower uses 2 tons of paper for tickets alone each and every year.

- The Tower also uses 25,000 garbage bags a year.

- Other cleaning items the Tower uses are 10,000 uses of detergents, and about 400 liters of metal cleansers in one year.

- In 1923 the journalist Pierre Labric rode his bike down from the first level. Though there are different ideas of how he did it, he was the only one to do so.

- The first elevators used in the Eiffel Tower where hydraulically powered. They made changes to the elevator system to stay current and up to date.

- The Tower's first level is 189 feet above the ground. There are many different sorts of shops and entertaining places to visit on the first floor like the telescopes to view Paris in detail, gift shops, one restaurant, gallery and other spectacular things.

- In 1925 there was a con artist named Victor Lustig, actually sold the tower for scrap.

- The Eiffel Tower can be seen in hundreds of movies. Some of them include the following.

007 A View To A Kill
Femme Fatale
Frantic
French Kiss
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Armageddon
Divorce
The Golden Child
Euro-trip
Independence Day
Kiss of the Dragon
Moulin Rouge
Ronin
Views from the Top

- It took 300 steel workers to construct the Eiffel Tower in the two year construction.

- The Eiffel Tower spans 2.54 acres in the base area or 10,281.96 square meters.

- The weight on the foundation alone is 8092.2 tons.

- When first constructed the Eiffel Tower used 40 tons of paint, 2.5 million rivets and 15,000 iron pieces (not counting the rivet).

While there are many other fascinating facts about the beautifully constructed Eiffel Tower these are some of the greatest. The Eiffel Tower is sure to stay as long as possible as it has grown to be a huge tourist attraction and a landmark on Paris, France.

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