Biography of the eiffel tower

It is the most visited and loved landmark in Paris. He ended up being hired by Charles Nepveu, an engineer specialized in the construction of steam-powered machines who also made material used for railways. At only 25 years old, his first large-scale project was construction of the iron girder bridge, Pont de Bordeauxthat measured more than meters 1, feet in length.

From then on, Eiffel would be in charge of the construction of other bridges in the southwestern France. He set up home near Paris in and in started his own company. The tower also directed Eiffel's interest to the field of aerodynamics, and he used the structure for several experiments and built the first aerodynamic laboratory at its base, later moving the lab to the outskirts of Paris.

The lab included a wind tunnel, and Eiffel's work there influenced some of the first aviators, including the Wright Brothers. Eiffel went on to write several books on aerodynamics, most notably Resistance of the Air and Aviationfirst published in Eiffel turned his interest to meteorology in his final years, studying the subject at length before his death on December 27, It is more famous than I am.

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Biography of the eiffel tower: The first digging work started on

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After this brief pause erection of the metalwork continued, and the critical operation of linking the four legs was successfully completed by March In order to precisely align the legs so that the connecting girders could be put into place, a provision had been made to enable precise adjustments by placing hydraulic jacks in the footings for each of the girders making up the legs.

The main structural work was completed at the end of March and, on 31 March, Eiffel celebrated by leading a group of government officials, accompanied by representatives of the press, to the top of the tower.

Biography of the eiffel tower: The Eiffel Tower is made

Since the lifts were not yet in operation, the ascent was made by foot, and took over an hour, Eiffel frequently stopping to make explanations of various features. InEiffel became involved with the French effort to construct a canal across the Panama Isthmus. The French Panama Canal Company, headed by Ferdinand de Lessepshad been attempting to build a sea-level canal, but came to the realization that this was impractical.

The plan was changed to one using lockswhich Eiffel was contracted to design and build. The locks were on a large scale, most having a change of level of 11 m 36 ft. Eiffel's reputation was badly damaged when he was implicated in the financial and political scandal which followed. Although he was simply a contractor, he was charged along with the directors of the project with raising money under false pretenses and misappropriation of funds.

On 9 FebruaryEiffel was found guilty on the charge of misuse of funds and was fined 20, francs and sentenced to two years in prison, [ 33 ] although he was acquitted on appeal. Shortly before the trial, Eiffel had announced his intention to resign from the Board of Directors of the Compagnie des Etablissements Eiffel and did so at a General Meeting held on 14 February, saying, "I have absolutely decided to abstain from any participation in any manufacturing business from now on, and so that no one can be misled and to make it most evident I intend to remain uninvolved with the establishments that bears my name, and insist that it be removed from the company's name.

The name was changed to the Anciens Etablissements Eiffel in After his retirement from the Compagnie des Etablissements Eiffel, Eiffel went on to do important work in meteorology and aerodynamics. His first aerodynamic experiments, investigating the air resistance of surfaces, were carried out by dropping the surface to be investigated together with a measuring apparatus down a vertical cable stretched between the second level of the Eiffel Tower and the ground.

Biography of the eiffel tower: The Eiffel Tower is a wrought-iron

Using this Eiffel definitely established that the air resistance of a body was very closely related to the square of the airspeed. He then built a laboratory on the Champ de Mars at the foot of the tower inbuilding his first wind tunnel there in Eiffel established that the lift produced by an airfoil was the result of a reduction of air pressure above the wing rather than an increase of pressure acting on the under surface.

Following complaints about noise from people living nearby, he moved his experiments to a new establishment at Auteuil in Here it was possible to build a larger wind tunnel, and Eiffel began to make tests using scale models of aircraft designs. In Eiffel was awarded the Samuel P. Langley Medal for Aerodromics by the Smithsonian Institution.

In his speech at the presentation of the medal, Alexander Graham Bell said: [ 39 ]. His researches, published in andon the resistance of the air in connection with aviation, are especially valuable. They have given engineers the data for designing and constructing flying machines upon sound, scientific principles. Between and he compiled a complete set of meteorological readings, and later extended his record-taking to include measurements from 25 different locations across France.

Eiffel died on 27 Decemberwhile listening to Beethoven's 5th symphony andantein his mansion on Rue Rabelais in Paris. He was buried in the family tomb in Levallois-Perret Cemetery. Gustave Eiffel's career was a result of the Industrial Revolution. For a variety of economic and political reasons, this had been slow to make an impact in France, [ 40 ] and Eiffel had the biography of the eiffel tower fortune to be working at a time of rapid industrial development in France.

Eiffel's importance as an engineer was twofold. Firstly he was ready to adopt innovative techniques first used by others, such as his use of compressed-air caissons and hollow cast-iron piers, and secondly he was a pioneer in his insistence on basing all engineering decisions on thorough calculation of the forces involved, combining this analytical approach with an insistence on a high standard of accuracy in drawing and manufacture.

The growth of the railway network had an immense effect on people's lives, but although the enormous number of bridges and other work undertaken by Eiffel were an important part of this, the two works that did most to make him famous are the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower, both projects of immense symbolic importance and today internationally recognized landmarks.

The Tower is also important because of its role in establishing the aesthetic potential of structures whose appearance is largely dictated by practical considerations. His contribution to the science of aerodynamics is probably of equal importance to his work as an engineer. A number of works of Gustave Eiffel are in danger today.

Some have already been destroyed, like in Vietnam. A proposal to demolish the railway bridge of Bordeaux also known as the "passerelle St Jean"the first major work of Gustave Eiffel, resulted in a large response from the public. Actions to protect the bridge were taken as early as by the "Association of the Descendants of Gustave Eiffel", [ 48 ] joined from onwards by the Association "Sauvons la Passerelle Eiffel" Save the Eiffel Bridge.

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Biography of the eiffel tower: An engineer by training, Eiffel founded

Over the years, the Eiffel Tower has been the site of numerous high-profile stunts, ceremonial events and even scientific experiments. Infor instance, the German physicist Theodor Wulf used an electrometer to detect higher levels of radiation at its top than at its base, observing the effects of what are now called cosmic rays. The Eiffel Tower has also inspired more than 30 replicas and similar structures in various cities around the world.

Now one of the most recognizable structures on the planet, the Eiffel Tower underwent a major facelift in and is repainted every seven years. It welcomes more visitors than any other paid monument in the world—an estimated 7 million people per year.