The Eiffel Tower, which got its name after the owner of the company that built the tower, has an interesting history. It was built to celebrate the 1889 World's Fare amongst much opposition from prominent intellectuals of that time. Little did they, nor anyone else, know that it would become a national icon recognized across the entire globe attracting millions of visitors.
The Eiffel Tower was for quite some time the tallest building in the world with its original height of 300 meters. Later, a telecommunication mast was added bringing the tower to its current height of 324 meters.
As any material, the iron tower expands when it gets warmer and contracts when it gets cooler. Temperature fluctuations are as big as some 15 cm across a temperature range of some 30 degrees. Being the icon it is, the tower is well maintained. Amongst others it is repainted in regular intervals. This is an endeavor which requires some 50 tones of paint.