Gustave Eiffel's design was described by one contemporary critic as a "grimy factory chimney." Eiffel defended the design as "formed by the wind itself." Built in 1889 for the World Exposition, it was intended as a temporary structure but found a new use with the invention of "wireless telegraphy" which is to say radio broadcasting. Today it is Paris' best-known landmark, and an iconic image of France itself. |