Eiffel Tower, French Tour Eiffel, Parisian landmark that is also aGustave Eiffel.
Eiffel started the world with the construction of the Eiffel Tower (1887–89), which brought him the nickname "magician of iron." It also directed his interest to problems of aerodynamics, and he used the tower for a number of experiments. At Auteuil, outside Paris, he built the first aerodynamic laboratory, where he continued to work throughout World War I; in 1921 he gave the laboratory to the state. technological masterpiece in building-construction history. When the French government was organizing the International Exposition of 1889 to celebrate the centenary of the French Revolution, a competition was held for designs for a suitable monument. More than 100 plans were submitted, and the Centennial Committee accepted that of the noted bridge engineer Gustave Eiffel. Eiffel’s concept of a 300-meter (984-foot) tower built almost entirely of open-lattice wrought iron aroused amazement, skepticism, and no little opposition on aesthetic grounds. When completed, the tower served as the entrance gateway to the exposition
Nothing remotely like the Eiffel Tower had ever been built; it was twice as high as the dome of St. Peter’s in Rome or the Great Pyramid of Giza. In contrast to such older monuments, the tower was erected in only about two years (1887–89), with a small labor force, at slight cost. Making use of his advanced knowledge of the behavior of metal arch and metal truss forms under loading, Eiffel designed a light, airy, but strong structure that presages a revolution in civil engineering and architectural design. And, after it opened to the public on May 15, 1889, it ultimately vindicated itself aesthetically.
The Eiffel Tower stands on four lattice-girder piers that taper inward and join to form a single large vertical tower. As they curve inward, the piers are connected to each other by networks of girders at two levels that afford viewing platforms for tourists. By contrast, the four semicircular arches at the tower’s base are purely aesthetic elements that serve no structural function. Because of their unique shape, which was dictated partly by engineering considerations but also partly by Eiffel’s artistic sense, the piers required elevators to ascend on a curve; The glass-cage machines designed by the Otis Elevator Company of the United States became one of the principal features of the building, helping establish it as one of the world’s premier tourist attractions
The tower itself is 300 meters (984 feet) high. It rests on a base that is 5 meters (17 feet) high, and a television antenna atop the tower gives it a total elevation of 324 meters (1,063)
Petit, whose father was a military pilot, took little interest in school studies but diligently practiced such performance skills as juggling and sleight of hand. After seeing circus high-wire acts, he strung a rope between two trees on his parents ’property and taught himself tightrope walking. As a young adult he supported himself as a juggler on the streets of Paris. There he met the Czech aerialist Rudy Omankowsky, from whom he learned how to rig a wire for long walks at great heights. # art one1, eiffel tower, # Paris, # France, etc......
