La Tour Eiffel

The tower was designed as the centerpiece of the 1889 World's Fair in Paris and was meant to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution and show off France’s modern mechanical prowess on a world stage. The tower was built by Gustave Eiffel’s civil engineering firm in two years, two months, and five days, using 7,500 tons of iron and 2.5 million rivets.