Did you know? 4 uncommon little stories about the Eiffel Tower

It celebrated its 130^th anniversary in May 2019! The Eiffel Tower – built by Gustave Eiffel in 1887 – is a true symbol of Paris if not France! So far, nothing new. But do you know all its little secrets hiding behind this famous 300-meter tall tower? Keep reading to discover the!

• Soldier Tower

In the past, we can say the Eiffel Tower became a soldier helping the frontlines. Requisitioned during the First World War, it played a key part for the 4 years of war and the win over Germans. Thanks to the radio antennas at the top of the building, key messages have been intercepted enabling to push back several attacks especially from the Germans in 1914 on the Marne and even to stop a spy.

• A 7-color tower

Across the years, the Eiffel Tower has undergone 19 restorations but not in the same way. All in all, it has been painted in 7 different hues: brown red, yellow ocher, brown yellow and even a gradation of brown in 1968. It’s in 2019 that the Eiffel Tower gets the color it first had back: brown yellow!

• Beacon-lookalike

• To be read
• Tips for the week of November 18 to 24, 2024 in Paris: free or inexpensive outings
• Free museums and monuments: places to visit this Sunday, December 1, 2024 in Paris
• Free Museums and Monuments to visit in Paris and the Ile-de-France region, good ideas for outings

300km! This is how far the spots at the top of the Tower can light up. They first have been set up in 1947 to help aircrafts fly in the sky, then removed 27 years later. It’s when the world moves to 2000 that the two spots are put back and shine again in the sky of the Parisian night.

• Acting Queen!

Did you know the Eiffel Tower is a great actress? As a matter of fact, the monument has inspired many movies and since from the debuts with the Lumières Brothers who shot their first vertical travelling in 1897. Since then, movie directors such as François Truffaut used it, so did Disney as the Eiffel Tower is often put in animated movies background. In 1985, Roger Moore aka James Bond will have the privilege to shoot with the famous Iron Lady for the movie “A View to Kill”.

And enjoy your free time to enjoy the show celebrating the Eiffel Tower’s 130^th anniversary: