Gustave Eiffel

15 December 1832 – 27 December 1923

Gustave Eiffel was a French civil engineer and entrepreneur famed for the wrought-iron tower in Paris that bears his name, built for the 1889 Exposition Universelle. His firm also engineered the Garabit Viaduct and the internal framework of the Statue of Liberty, and in later life he made pioneering contributions to meteorology and aerodynamics.

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Life events

Born in Dijon, France
15 December 1832

Alexandre Gustave Eiffel was born into a family descended from German immigrants; his mother ran a successful coal business.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Graduated from the École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures in Paris
1855

Eiffel earned his engineering degree with a specialization in chemistry before turning to metal construction.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Supervised construction of the Bordeaux railway bridge
1858 – 1860

In his mid-twenties Eiffel directed the building of a major iron railway bridge over the Garonne at Bordeaux, establishing his reputation.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Married Marguerite Gaudelet
8 July 1862

Eiffel married Marguerite Gaudelet of Dijon; the couple had five children before her death in 1877.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Founded his own engineering workshops at Levallois-Perret
c. 1866

Eiffel set up an independent metal construction firm near Paris that would execute bridges, viaducts, and buildings worldwide.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Engineered the internal structure of the Statue of Liberty
1881 – 28 October 1886

Eiffel's firm designed the iron pylon and secondary skeletal framework supporting Bartholdi's copper statue, dedicated in New York in 1886.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Completed the Garabit Viaduct
1884

Eiffel's firm completed the record-setting wrought-iron railway arch over the Truyère River in southern France.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Built the Eiffel Tower for the 1889 Exposition Universelle
28 January 1887 – 31 March 1889

Construction of the 300-metre tower began in January 1887 and it was inaugurated in March 1889 as the tallest structure in the world.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Turned to scientific research in meteorology and aerodynamics
1893

After retiring from construction, Eiffel used the tower for experiments and built one of the first aerodynamic wind tunnels at Auteuil.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Died in Paris
27 December 1923

Gustave Eiffel died at his mansion on Rue Rabelais in Paris at the age of 91.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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