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#32 The untold story of Eiffel and his Tower
Had its use as a gigantic 300m high radio antenna not been
recognised in the early 1900s the magnificent Eiffel Tower, would have been
pulled down and destroyed. Under its original contract as the wrought iron
gateway to the 1889 Paris World Fair, it was only to stand for 20 years. But
its creator, engineer Gustave Eiffel, had other ideas. In the same way that
Eiffel initially convinced politicians to support this dazzling demonstration
of France’s industrial power, he persuaded them to keep it as a scientific
laboratory, leading to new knowledge of wind engineering and meteorology.
But the story of the tower, which inspired both love and
hatred in the late 1800s, is one of extremes, just like the life of its
creator. From being the most revered engineer in the world, when the tower
opened and even bore his name, Eiffel found himself mired in accusations of
corruption and was sentenced to jail.
As “La Dam de Fer”, celebrates its 130 year anniversary we
explore the highs and lows of one of the world’s most famous structures.
GUESTS
Paul Bell, Institution
of Structural Engineers History Study Group
Bertrand Lemoine,
architect, engineer and historian, and author of The
Eiffel Tower: The Three Hundred Metre Tower
Ender Ozkan, Vice President Europe, RWDI
Professor Andrew Saint,Institution of
Structural Engineers History Study Group
The post #32 The untold story of Eiffel and his Tower first appeared on Engineering Matters.
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By Reby Media
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Had its use as a gigantic 300m high radio antenna not been
recognised in the early 1900s the magnificent Eiffel Tower, would have been
pulled down and destroyed. Under its original contract as the wrought iron
gateway to the 1889 Paris World Fair, it was only to stand for 20 years. But
its creator, engineer Gustave Eiffel, had other ideas. In the same way that
Eiffel initially convinced politicians to support this dazzling demonstration
of France’s industrial power, he persuaded them to keep it as a scientific
laboratory, leading to new knowledge of wind engineering and meteorology.
But the story of the tower, which inspired both love and
hatred in the late 1800s, is one of extremes, just like the life of its
creator. From being the most revered engineer in the world, when the tower
opened and even bore his name, Eiffel found himself mired in accusations of
corruption and was sentenced to jail.
As “La Dam de Fer”, celebrates its 130 year anniversary we
explore the highs and lows of one of the world’s most famous structures.
GUESTS
Paul Bell, Institution
of Structural Engineers History Study Group
Bertrand Lemoine,
architect, engineer and historian, and author of The
Eiffel Tower: The Three Hundred Metre Tower
Ender Ozkan, Vice President Europe, RWDI
Professor Andrew Saint,Institution of
Structural Engineers History Study Group
The post #32 The untold story of Eiffel and his Tower first appeared on Engineering Matters.
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