And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
It was. It was built to commemorate the centennial of French Revolution for the Paris Exposition in 1889. It was originally to be a temporary structure, but the city officials soon discovered that it made a dandy radio tower and here we are.
I climbed the first (of three) levels when I visited there in the early 2000s. I had my shipmate convinced that a guy built it on weekends and his spare time.
It was originally built for the Paris Exposition to show off the capabilities of steel construction. The elevators go sideways-up the leg following the curvature and were designed and made by Otis. It was supposed to be temporary but dismantling it was going to be costly and the city found that it was a tourist attraction after the Exposition. Many a new improvement to the quality of life were displayed at the exposition like the one in Chicago a few years later.
Spin Drift
P. S. Check out "Eiffel's Tower" by Jill Jonnes for more intriguing details of the exposition.
I read somewhere that the Eiffle Tower was originally constructed as a temporary display.
ReplyDeleteIt was.
ReplyDeleteIt was built to commemorate the centennial of French Revolution for the Paris Exposition in 1889. It was originally to be a temporary structure, but the city officials soon discovered that it made a dandy radio tower and here we are.
I climbed the first (of three) levels when I visited there in the early 2000s.
ReplyDeleteI had my shipmate convinced that a guy built it on weekends and his spare time.
Sorta like a TinkerToy set that got away from him and took a life of its own.
DeleteHe had you convinced that he believed you.
DeleteIt was originally built for the Paris Exposition to show off the capabilities of steel construction. The elevators go sideways-up the leg following the curvature and were designed and made by Otis. It was supposed to be temporary but dismantling it was going to be costly and the city found that it was a tourist attraction after the Exposition. Many a new improvement to the quality of life were displayed at the exposition like the one in Chicago a few years later.
ReplyDeleteSpin Drift
P. S. Check out "Eiffel's Tower" by Jill Jonnes for more intriguing details of the exposition.
Didn't Eiffel also engineer the Statue of Liberty ?
ReplyDelete