The
Eiffel Tower
was built for the International Exhibition of Paris of 1889
commemorating the centenary of the French Revolution. The Prince of Wales,
later King Edward VII of England, opened the
tower. Of the 700 proposals submitted in a design competition,
Gustave Eiffel's was unanimously chosen.
However it was not accepted by all at first, and a petition of 300 names
- including those of Maupassant, Emile Zola, Charles Garnier (architect
of the Opéra Garnier), and Dumas the Younger - protested its construction. At 300 meters (320.75 m including
antenna), and 7,000 tons, it was the world's tallest building until
1930.