On March 31, 1889, a special dedication ceremony celebrated the completion of the Eiffel Tower, setting the stage for its grand debut at the World's Fair that May. Gustave Eiffel himself played host, welcoming French Prime Minister Pierre Tirard alongside distinguished guests and the hardworking crew whose labor had brought the ambitious project to life.
The 1889 Exposition Universelle was conceived to honor the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution, and the Eiffel Tower sat right at its heart as the defining centerpiece. Rising 300 meters (984 feet) into the air, the Tower embodied both revolutionary spirit and a century's worth of human progress. No other man-made structure on Earth surpassed its height until New York's Chrysler Building was completed in 1930. Assembled from more than 18,000 iron components and held together by 2.5 million rivets, the entire structure came together in a remarkable two years, two months, and five days, wrapping up on March 31, 1889 — a feat widely hailed as a genuine technical marvel. After the dedication, the U.S.-based Otis Elevator Company put the finishing touches on the glass-cage elevators and three observation platforms incorporated into the Tower's design. Since those elevators weren't yet operational, Gustave made the ascent on foot, raising the French flag at the summit and unleashing a fireworks display that illuminated the Paris sky. For Eiffel, who had weathered fierce criticism throughout both the design and construction phases, the moment was nothing short of a personal triumph.
What many people find surprising is that the Tower was never meant to last. Plans called for its demolition in 1909, but its value as a radiotelegraph station ultimately spared it from the wrecking ball. When World War I broke out, the Tower proved indispensable for intercepting enemy communications, playing a major part in the war effort. That critical wartime contribution sealed the case for the Tower's permanent preservation. Today, the Eiffel Tower continues to dominate the Parisian skyline, having inspired countless imitations and graced thousands of movies and photographs over the decades.