About Eiffel's $650 Billion Tower

In a way, the Stone Age lasted until the middle of the 19th century: pyramids, cathedrals, obelisks – all of
them built using stone. The Washington Monument, the world’s tallest stone construction at 169.3 metres,
was only completed in 1884. But when the mass production of steel was introduced, it became possible
to build even taller structures, as steel is extremely tough and yet highly fl exible.
Gustave Eiffel eschewed this material, however, electing instead to construct his tower from wrought
iron. The secret of the Eiffel Tower’s durability? Its latticework design means that it consists entirely of
braces, struttings and bars; in spite of its 10,000-tonne weight, the tower isn’t adversely affected by
winds. Even at wind speeds of 170km/h, the top of the tower only tilts around 13 centimetres, as the

racing air simply whistles through the framework.

THE FIRST DESIGNS WERE REJECTED:-
The plans for its construction did not originate from Gustave Eiffel,
but from two employees at his architectural fi rm: Maurice Koechlin
and Émile Nouguier. The city of Paris wanted to boast of having the
highest tower in the world, built in time for the opening of the
International Exhibition in 1889, and the anniversary of the French
Revolution 100 years earlier. However, Eiffel found the plans of his
colleagues too functional, and so he commissioned
architect Stephen Sauvestre to rework them.
Regardless, Eiffel is considered the ‘father of the
Tower’ as he made the construction possible in
the fi rst place. He was already a well-known
engineer, having constructed the framework

of the Statue of Liberty in New York.
It will tower over Paris like a huge, dreary factory chimney,” complained
a group of well-known artists in a joint letter, published during the Eiffel
Tower’s planning stages. Many people predicted the building would be
a monstrous metal nightmare – but most fell silent upon its unveiling.
Nevertheless, the Eiffel Tower was scheduled to be pulled down 20 years
later. To prevent this, Gustave Eiffel sought ways in which his tower could
be put to use – and found them in science. Unique experiments could be

performed at the top of the tallest building in the world (at the time); studies
into aerodynamics, atmospheric pressure and radiation measurements. But
it was radio that proved to be its saving grace. In 1903, the fi rst wireless
tests were carried out; by World War One, German intelligence was being
intercepted via the Eiffel Tower and then decoded. Amongst other things,

this led to the exposure of Mata Hari, the notorious German spy.

IT’S A $650 BILLION NATIONAL TREASURE:-
In 2012, the chamber of commerce of the Italian province Monza and
Brianza calculated the tourist value of Europe’s famous landmarks.
This was based on visitor numbers (seven million visit the Eiffel
Tower annually) and an attraction’s effect on its country’s economy.
The Eiffel Tower topped the list, with a value of $650 billion.
In May 1925, the monument was sold to a scrap merchant for
$50,000 by con artist Victor Lustig, who posed as an employee
of the French postal ministry and led the buyer to believe that the

Eiffel Tower was going to be torn down