Tim the Yowie Man takes his column to Paris to pay tribute to 100 years since the death of Gustave Eiffel, the man behind France’s famous tower.
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00:00 Bonjour!
00:01 Now this year marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Gustave Eiffel.
00:07 He's the man responsible for the construction of one of the world's most iconic landmarks,
00:13 the Eiffel Tower.
00:16 While most tourists catch the lift to the viewing platforms of the 330 metre higher
00:21 wrought iron lattice tower, yes that's almost seven times taller than Canberra's Carillion
00:26 and 145 metres higher than Telstra Tower, you can also clamber up the stairs.
00:34 If you make it to the top level, there is an apartment built for Gustave Eiffel's private
00:39 use when he built the tower as part of a world fair to celebrate 100 years of the French
00:44 Revolution.
00:45 Incredibly, Eiffel had a permit for the tower to stand, forget this, only 20 years.
00:54 It was to be dismantled in 1909 when its ownership would revert to the city of Paris.
00:59 The city had planned to tear it down.
01:02 Part of the original contest rules for designing a tower was that it should be easy to dismantle.
01:06 But as the tower proved to be valuable for many innovations in the early 20th century,
01:10 particularly radio telegraphy, it was allowed to stand.
01:15 Not surprisingly, the tower was of strategic importance during both world wars.
01:21 In 1914, at the outbreak of World War I, a radio transmitter located in the tower jammed
01:26 German radio communications, seriously hindering their advance on Paris and contributing to
01:31 Allied victory at the First Battle of the Marne.
01:35 Then upon the German occupation of Paris in 1940, the lift cables were cut by the French
01:40 and German soldiers then had to climb the tower to hoist a swastika flag.
01:46 Apparently the flag was so large it blew away just a few hours later and was replaced by
01:50 a smaller one.
01:51 When the Allies were nearing Paris in August of 1944, Hitler ordered the military governor
01:57 of Paris to demolish the tower along with the rest of the city.
02:02 Thankfully the governor disobeyed the order and now tourists like me can huff and puff
02:09 their way up the staircase to enjoy one of Europe's most celebrated views.
02:16 Although officially recorded at 330 metres, the height of the tower actually changes with
02:20 the seasons.
02:21 If you visit it in summer, the tower is taller as the iron structure expands in height by
02:26 about 18 centimetres on a 38 degree day.
02:30 On the other hand, in winter, the cold weather causes the tower to shrink by a similar amount.
02:38 But can you imagine Paris without the tower?
02:41 I certainly can't.
02:44 Au revoir.
02:45 [Music]