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10 Interesting Facts About Eiffel Tower for Kids

Every country has its own share of monuments and famous attractions. They proudly stand up in a beautiful way, showing the construction abilities of humankind, and narrating the country’s rich history. Eiffel Tower is one of the world’s most famous attractions and Paris’s symbol of love. It is also one of the world’s wonders.

You have probably taken a glimpse of this beautifully illuminated Tower in so many movies and cartoons. However, you may not know a lot about the history of the captivating Eiffel Tower, and that’s what we are here for. This article will introduce you to interesting facts about the Eiffel tower and offer insight into its history.  

10 Interesting Facts About Eiffel Tower for Kids

History of the Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower is one of the most important tourist attractions in the world. It draws people from all over the globe to come and see its fancy construction in real. This tower has been standing tall and proud since 1887, which makes it almost 135 years old today. The designer of this tower was named Gustave Eiffel; that is where the building gets its name from. 

It took around two years and two months to finish the Eiffel Tower construction fully. Definitely, Gustave was not the only one to work on such a vast project, but he was the one to design its idea. He had around 72 engineers, scientists, and mathematicians to make this project come true. Until this very day, all those people have their names engraved on the sides of the tower.

The reason for building the Eiffel tower was instead a celebratory one. It was built to be the prominent landmark in Paris for the occasion of the World Fair of 1889. That is why its construction plan took place two years earlier. The judges of the fair liked the idea, given that it was built with iron and steel, which weren’t very common in construction back then.

This monument succeeded in attracting millions of visitors. The plan was for it to stay for 20 years to reveal the great success of France, then to be taken down. However, its pyramid-like shape and pointed peak made it helpful in adding a radio antenna on Top. Thus, it became more important and served a new purpose, so it remained as it was.

Who Was Gustave Eiffel?

Gustave Eiffel was a French civil engineer who contributed in so many world-famous projects, including the Eiffel Tower, which was named after him. This tower was not the only project that Eiffel worked on, and he also contributed in designing some parts of the renowned Statue of Liberty. He also owned a company specialising in metal structural work. 

He built the Eiffel Tower using iron, which wasn’t very common during the tower’s construction. It is one of the reasons that made the tower quite famous. Its pyramid-like shape and exceptional height are also other factors that attracted people to go and see it. Eiffel Tower is made of iron with several openings that make it seem airy and light and allow you to see through it. 

Interesting Facts to Know about Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower has its own charm that makes you want to keep looking at it. When it illuminates at night, the whole scene becomes so much better and more beautiful. However, there is so much more to the Eiffel tower than its exceptional height and fascinating appearance. Here are some entertaining facts to learn about the Eiffel tower:

1. There is a Secret Room on the Top

Of course, as a tourist, you are allowed to go to the top of the tower and get to watch the beautiful streets of Paris from up there. You may overhear people speaking about the existence of a secret room. This room is private as it used to be the apartment where Gustave Eiffel lived. He made sure to include a place for himself when he was designing the tower.

2. The Eiffel Tower was Red

Yes, the Eiffel tower was more like a brownish red or a reddish brown when it was first built. Its colours have changed throughout the years as it goes through a painting process every 7 years. Today, its main colour is bronze. Weather conditions may cause the colours to wear off after some time, that’s why it is repainted constantly. This also helps in protecting the metal from corrosion.

3. It Used to be the Tallest Structure

Eiffel tower is 1,083 feet high. During the time of its construction, nothing in the world had this appearance or height. It was deemed the tallest structure in the world. However, this fact changed in 1930, when the Chrysler Building of New York was built, and it is taller than the Eiffel tower.

4. It Gets Shorter in Winter and Taller in Summer

We know this sounds weird and fascinating at the same time, but, we are telling you, it is true. When the temperature goes down, and it gets colder in winter, the Eiffel tower shrinks to become around six inches shorter than its original height. That is because it is made of steel which contracts in the cold and expands in the hot. This physical phenomenon is known as thermal expansion. 

5. People Call it ‘La Dame de Fer.’

La dame de Fer is French for ‘the Iron Lady,’ which was the name given to the Eiffel tower. A tall, heavy, tall tower must be made of many metal parts. This tower is built with thousands upon thousands of iron, and it weighs around 7300 tons, which is extremely heavy. The nature of its construction is what made people refer to it as the Iron Lady.

6. Many French People Hated the Tower

Although many people around the world quite love this tower, that wasn’t the case when it was first built. Well, of course, there were so many people who loved it, but a lot more actually hated it. Eiffel Tower was quite eerie and peculiar when it first stood tall, and many people considered it an eyesore. Others believed that it blocked many beautiful views of Paris.

7. Its Painting Process Takes So Long

Painting the tower takes up to more than a year to fully repainted. This process takes anywhere from 15 to 18 months to give the whole tower and fresh glow. Besides the long process, around 60 tons of paint weight is used every time. Gustave Eiffel himself suggested the rhythm of repainting the tower every 7 years, and it is still ongoing today.

8. It Lights Up with A Great Number of Bulbs 

You can see the Eiffel Tower lighted up from miles away when the night comes. Its bright illumination is quite fascinating and attractive to the eyes. This brightness happens thanks to the thousands of lightbulbs used to light up the whole thing from the base to the top. In fact, the tower requires around twenty thousand lightbulbs to give that splendid glare.

9. The World Has Many Replicas

Since the Eiffel tower became an iconic structure, many parts of the world started creating replicas of the famous monument. There are around more than 80 replicas of the Eiffel tower, with those in Tokyo, Las Vegas, and Texas being the most famous.

10. Radio Antennas Saved the Tower from Being Taken Down

When the tower was first designed to be built, it was supposed to last for 20 years and then be taken down. However, the addition of a radio antenna to the top of the tower changed its purpose, and it became significant to send and receive wireless messages. The French military found this quite substantial, so its contract to be destroyed was no longer valid.

The post 10 Interesting Facts About Eiffel Tower for Kids first appeared on Learning Mole.



This post first appeared on Online Learning And Educational Resources For Kids, please read the originial post: here

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