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 AlokeKumar rated 4 months ago - ALEXANDRE GUSTAVE EIFFEL
(1832-1923)
The French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel is best known for the Eiffel Tower, which he built in Paris in 1889.
He is best known for the iron tower bearing his name erected for the Paris Exhibition of 1889. Whilst the Eiffel Tower was an important st...
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- AlokeKumar rated 4 months ago
- ALEXANDRE GUSTAVE EIFFEL
(1832-1923)
The French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel is best known for the Eiffel Tower, which he built in Paris in 1889.
He is best known for the iron tower bearing his name erected for the Paris Exhibition of 1889. Whilst the Eiffel Tower was an important step in the use of exposed metal for architectural purposes, Eiffel made other significant contributions, notably in bridge-building throughout Europe, South America, and Indo-China. His railway-bridge over the Truyère at Garabit, France (1880-4) , was an example of his technical mastery.
He was consultant for the Paris Exhibitions of 1867 and 1878, and devised a theory of how wrought-iron construction enabled precision of design to be achieved. He worked with Boileau on the Bon Marché Department Store, Paris (1876), and designed the internal structural framework for the Statue of Liberty, NYC (1885).
Eiffel was born in Dijon, Côte-d'Or, France. The name Eiffel was adopted by one of his German ancestors in the early 18th century. The name was taken from his birthplace Marmagen located in the Eifel, as the French could not pronounce his actual name, Bönickhausen. During his youth, the two strongest influences on Eiffel were both successful chemists, his uncles Jean-Baptiste Mollerat and Michel Perret. Both men spent a lot of time with young Eiffel, filling his head with everything from chemistry and mining to religion and philosophy. At school, Eiffel was extremely smart, but not very studious. While attending high school at Lycee Royal, Eiffel was bored and felt that the classes were a waste of time. It was not until his last two years at school that Eiffel found his niche; not in engineering, but in history and literature. Eiffel's study habits improved and he graduated with a degree in both science and humanities.
The Eiffel Tower had a huge impact on France. The tower was the focal point of the Exposition Universelle (1889) and drew millions of people to Paris. Nearly two million people visited the Eiffel Tower in 1889 alone. The tower quickly became a tourist attraction and brought large amounts of money into France's economy. After originally being thought of as an eyesore, and objected to, by none other than the likes of Guy de Maupassant ,Alexandre Dumas Jr, Charles Gounod, Joris-Karl Huysmans and others(it was actually designed to be torn down easily after the end of the Exposition), the tower quickly became a national symbol of France and brought a sense of pride to the people who live there.
Eiffel died on December 27, 1923 in his mansion on Rue Rabelais in Paris. He was interred in the Cimetière de Levallois-Perret.
This spot is for Brice from Paris, France , who likes Eiffel and his famous tower. For more on him visit : http://linuxtraveler.stumbleupon.com/
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