1887: The Eiffel Tower – Paris, France

 
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Innovation: The Eiffel Tower
Location: Paris, France
Year: 1887
By: Gustave Eiffel

In 1887, construction of the Eiffel Tower began in Paris. Due to metallurgical innovations, 7300 tons of puddling iron was used in the tower to support the tall structure. Puddling iron was made from “pig iron,” and exhibits a much higher tensile strength than the previously used porous iron manufactured at the time. This new iron technology allowed the Eiffel Tower to remain the tallest man-made structure from it’s 1889 completion until 1930 when the Chrysler Building was completed in New York City. The Eiffel Tower stands at 1,050 ft tall (320 meters). Over 2.5 million rivets were used in it’s construction, with the holes designed to a tolerance of 0.1 mm. 1,700 general drawings and 3,629 technical drawings were created by hand for the Eiffel tower and it’s 18,000 components.

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