Introduction

On the 31st of March 1889, the Eiffel Tower (La Tour Eiffel in French) in Paris was dedicated in an opening ceremony. The tower was built as part of an event to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.

The tower, designed by Gustave Eiffel, beat over 100 designs in a competition to build a monument. Eiffel previously designed and built the internal structure that supports the Statue of Liberty.

The tower took two years, two months and five days to build. It was initially only intended to stand for 20 years. However, it soon became an important site for communication, at first with wireless transmissions, followed by television, and so was allowed to remain. In March 2022 a new digital radio antenna added another 6 metres to the tower’s height! You can watch the video of it being flown in by helicopter!

Teaching Ideas and Resources

• Research the facts about the tower and create your own presentation or poster about it. This site is a good place to start.
• Learn more about the tower’s creation in this Google Arts and Culture project.
• Make a drawing or painting of the tower.
• Visit the tower’s website for many resources about the tower to use with children.