The structure known today as the Eiffel Tower was originally dubbed the Tour de 300 mètres, the 300-metre tower. The name was proposed by engineers Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nougier to Gustave Eiffel, who oversaw the tower’s construction. It hinted at the desire to build something extraordinary, a technological feat that would set a new height record.

However, as temperatures rise during the summer months, the Eiffel Tower grows even taller than its original design.

The Eiffel Tower was erected at the 1889 World’s Fair to commemorate the centenary of the French Revolution.

Eiffel chose puddled iron for its construction, a material he knew well and had used in previous projects with good results. This ferrous material can withstand high levels of stress, which allowed for the construction of a large, very light tower that would be safe from horizontal wind forces.

To give an idea of how light the tower is, its weight of 7,300 tonnes is close to the weight of the volume of air contained within it – around 6,300 tonnes.

The Eiffel Tower was intended to be a prime observation point, as well as a base for radio broadcasting. The tower itself is a gigantic

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