Gustave Eiffel

Gustave Eiffel was a French civil engineer who made his name with various bridges for the French railway network, most famously the Garabit Viaduct. He is best known for the world-famous Eiffel Tower, designed by his company and built for the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris, and his contribution to building the Statue of Liberty in New York. After his retirement from engineering, Eiffel focused on research into meteorology and aerodynamics, making significant contributions in both fields. Eiffel was born in Dijon, France, in 1832. He was a descendant of German immigrants who had settled in Paris in the early 19th century. He studied at the École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, where he graduated in 1855. He then worked for several metal construction companies, where he gained experience in designing railway bridges and viaducts. He also helped create the iron framework for the Statue of Liberty, which was a gift from France to the United States. In 1866, he founded his own company, Eiffel et Cie, which specialized in metal structures. He built many bridges and buildings in France and abroad, such as the Maria Pia Bridge in Portugal, the Long Bien Bridge in Vietnam, and the Budapest-Nyugati Railway Terminal in Hungary. He also designed the interior structure of the Nice Observatory dome. Eiffel's most famous work is the Eiffel Tower, which he built for the 1889 World's Fair in Paris. The tower was initially criticized by many artists and intellectuals as an ugly and useless monument, but it soon became a symbol of Paris and France. The tower is 324 meters high and weighs about 10,000 tons. It was the tallest structure in the world until 1930. Eiffel also had a passion for science and research. He used the top of the tower as a laboratory for experiments on meteorology, radio communication, and aerodynamics. He also built a wind tunnel at the foot of the tower, where he tested various models of airfoils, propellers, and wings. He published many papers on his findings and received several awards for his contributions to science. Eiffel died in Paris in 1923 at the age of 91. He was buried in Levallois-Perret, near his home. His legacy lives on in his iconic structures and his scientific discoveries. He is regarded as one of the greatest engineers and architects of all time. ¹