Eiffel Tower Paris

The Eiffel Tower was built in two years, two months, and five days—a record back in the late 1880s. It was officially completed on March 31, 1889. It was only supposed to last for 20 years. Gustave Eiffel had it built specifically to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. It hasn't always been brown. It was briefly painted yellow in 1889, and from 1954 to 1961, it was painted a brownish-red color. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Eiffel Tower acted as a billboard—three of its sides held advertisements for Citroën automobiles. No other brand has ever used the monument as an advertising medium. The French originally hated it. A number of high-profile creatives and architects signed a petition to protest the tower during its construction. They called the tower "useless" and "monstrous." It played a crucial role in the First World War, during the Battle of the Marne in 1914. Signals would be sent out from the top of the tower, directing the French troops to the front line. When Gustave Eiffel designed the tower, he included a secret apartment for himself at the very top. Accessible to no one but him, envious Parisians frequently offered large sums of money to spend a night in the city's most exclusive penthouse, but he always refused.