Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923) designed the famous Eiffel Tower for the World Fair in 1889 which marked the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.
At the time, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure in the world. It was built with 15,000 pieces of metal joined together by 2,500,000 rivets and stood 320 m high. At night time it was lit up by 10,000 gas lamps.
Gustave Eiffel received the Legion of Honour medal in recognition of his achievement. In the first year, 1889, two million visitors each paid five francs a head to climb to the top.
Originally the intention had been to design and build a temporary structure for the Fair, but the Eiffel Tower proved so popular that it remains standing today. It earned Eiffel the nickname, "the magician of iron". He also built what for many years was the tallest railway bridge in the world, in southern France; and he designed the framework for the Statue of Liberty, France's gift to New York.
