THE IRON LADY Streams of tourists exit a line of buses They all look up to the sky whipping out their cell phones and cameras Every few feet groups are huddled together They are having their pictures taken They are all here to see one of the most famous structures in the world the Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower was built as part of a World's Fair in Paris France in 1889 Originally the plan was to take the tower down after 20 years More than 125 years later the Eiffel Tower is more popular than ever It has earned the nickname la dame de fer or the 5 Each year millions of people visit the Eiffel Tower and the surrounding park
iron lady This iron tower has become a symbol of Paris MAKING A STATEMENT World's Fairs have been happening since the mid 1800s Every few 6 PERSPECTIVES CELEBRATION CONTROVERSY Turning the 1889 Exposition into an anniversary party for the French Revolution created some controversy Many countries refused to participate The United Kingdom Italy and Russia still had ruling monarchs They would not acknowledge an event that celebrated a revolution Ultimately representatives from 43 nations attended the fair Sixteen of them went without the approval of their governments years a country hosts one of these events Nations set up exhibits to share their cultures and technology Paris hosted a World's Fair in 1889 known as the Exposition Universelle Organizers used the event as a celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of the French Revolution They hoped to show modern France
The Exposition Universelle featured a vast exhibit hall with displays from various nations 7 to the world To do this they believed the fair needed something special It needed a structure to represent French culture The planners wanted something bold They decided on a tower 984 feet 300 m tall The structure would dwarf all others in the world The organizers held a competition to design the tower People submitted more than 100 entries Some were elegant Others were absurd One entry
