Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower (/ˈaɪfəl ˈtaʊər/ EYE-fəl TOWR; French: tour Eiffel [tuʁ‿ɛfɛl]  listen) is a wrought iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Constructed in 1889 as the entrance to the 1889 World's Fair, it was initially criticized by some of France's leading artists and intellectuals for its design, but has become a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognisable structures in the world. The tower is the tallest structure in Paris and the most-visited paid monument in the world: 6.98 million people ascended it in 2011. The tower received its 250 millionth visitor in 2010.

The tower is 324 metres (1,063 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-storey building. Its base is square, 125 metres (410 ft) on a side. During its construction, the Eiffel Tower surpassed the Washington Monument to become the tallest man-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years until the Chrysler Building in New York City was built in 1930. Due to the addition of the aerial at the top of the tower in 1957, it is now taller than the Chrysler Building by 5.2 metres (17 ft). Not including broadcast aerials, it is the second-tallest structure in France, after the Millau Viaduct.

Eiffel Tower (disambiguation)

The Eiffel Tower is an iron lattice tower located on the in Paris, France.

Eiffel Tower may also refer to:

Structures

Other uses

See also

Eiffel Tower (Paris, Tennessee)

Tennessee's Eiffel Tower is a landmark in the city of Paris, Tennessee. Built in the early 1990s, this structure is a model of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

Background

Origin at Christian Brothers University

Engineering students at Christian Brothers University originally constructed the tower to commemorate the 1990 Memphis in May festival. Each year, the festival honors a country, and 1990 focused on France.

According to Brother Patrick O'Brien, a public relations official for the university at the time, "[the tower] was the centerpiece of one of our most popular quads". Regardless, the wooden tower was a temporary structure. Moreover, it could not remain at the university because students began to climb it even though it could not support their weight.

Finding a new home in Paris

In April 1991, the Paris-Henry County Chamber of Commerce sponsored "Paris U.S.A.", an event created to celebrate the shared charm of the fifteen U.S. cities named for the French capital. Representatives from five Parises accepted their invitations to enjoy Paris U.S.A. in Paris, Tennessee.

Eiffel Tower (Cedar Fair)

The Eiffel Towers at Kings Dominion and Kings Island are replicas of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. They opened at Kings Island in 1972 and Kings Dominion in 1975, each when the park originally opened.

Statistics

Both of the replicas at Kings Dominion and Kings Island are one-third replicas of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. They were both constructed by then-owner Taft Broadcasting. Each attractions stands 315 feet (96 m) tall with the observation floor 264 feet (80 m) high. On a clear day, visitors can see 18 miles out into the region from the observation floor. Each elevator takes 35 visitors at a time in about 30 seconds.

Kings Dominion

The Eiffel Tower at Kings Dominion was built by Bristol Steel. It was modeled and built at Kings Island three years prior to construction. It is the centerpiece of the park, located in the International Street section of the park, just beyond the fountains at the main entrance. It is currently the tallest attraction at Kings Dominion if measured by the top of the structure. It is the 4th tallest if measured by the observation platform with Drop Tower, Intimidator 305 and WindSeeker being taller. It is constructed of 450 tons of steel. Elevators in the replica were installed by Haushahn Elevator of Austria with subsequent modernizations and upgrades in recent years.

List of shipwrecks in the Bristol Channel

A number of ships have run aground or sunk in the Bristol Channel, a stretch of water between southern Wales and Somerset. Cardiff, Barry and Penarth were once the largest coal exporters in the world and the channel received significant traffic at the beginning of the twentieth century during exportation.

In 1948 there were 24 known wrecks in the Bristol Channel, but by 1950 14 had been cleared by demolition. One ship, a tanker of over 10,000 tons that was sunk off Nash Point, required the use of 129 tons of explosives by HMS Tronda to break up the wreck.

The Neptune - 1831

The Neptune was a vessel sailing from Newport to Wexford in Ireland and struck a rock on November 28 1831 off the coast of Porthkerry, near what is now Barry.

Lizzy - 1854

The ketch, Lizzy, was wrecked at Gore point, near Porlock Weir. The ship, built in Appledore, was spotted in trouble off Lynmouth in a storm during 1854. The ship had lost her masts, and was in very bad condition. A fishing boat was sent out to rescue the crew, as Lynmouth possessed no lifeboat at this time. The boat managed to reach the stricken ketch, rescue the crew and get back to Lynmouth safely. The weather then began to improve, and a fresh crew, together with the original skipper of the vessel, went out to attempt to salvage her. They improvised with a scrap of sail, and managed to get safely around Foreland Point. They sailed on all night, only just managing to keep the ship afloat. Finally, when they got to Gore Point,just a mile from Porlock weir, they sank in shallow water. The remains of the ship lie submerged just off the point today.