When nearly two million visitors besieged the newly opened Eiffel Tower during the Paris Centennial Exposition of 1889, Gustave Eiffel remarked, "I ought to be jealous of the tower, it is much more famous than I am." A lighthearted remark perhaps, but true nonetheless. Despite a long and highly illustrious career, Eiffel was all but unknown outside of engineering circles during his lifetime.
Born on December 15, 1832, in Dijon, France, Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel grew up to become an engineer at a time when those in the profession were widely considered uneducated and uncultured. Eiffel, however, did not fit the mold. He was a great admirer of classic literature, with a vast library of leather-bound works by Voltaire, Zola, Hugo, and others. He published 31 books and treatises documenting his numerous projects and experiments during his lifetime. He swam and fenced well into his 80s, and garnered honors and awards from governments around the world.
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