The tower, which has become the iconic symbol of Paris, is welded together and then secured with 2.5 million rivets. At 1,000 feet, it was the tallest structure in the world until the Chrysler Building in new york surpassed it in 1929 at 1,046 feet. The Empire State Building followed in 1931 at 1,250 feet.

Eiffel's tower was mocked by many in France at first. One group of French trend-setters called it an "odious column of bolted metal." As of today, more than 200 million people have visited the striking tower to ride or walk to its giddy heights, look at Paris below, and flirt, eat, and drink on the three platforms high above the Seine River.