Today in History: 1889 - Eiffel Tower opens
On March 31, 1889, the Eiffel Tower is dedicated in Paris in a ceremony presided over by Gustave Eiffel, the tower’s designer, and attended by French Prime Minister Pierre Tirard, a handful of other dignitaries, and 200 construction workers.
In 1889, to honor of the centenary of the French Revolution, the French government planned an international exposition and announced a design competition for a monument to be built on the Champ-de-Mars in central Paris. Out of more than 100 designs submitted, the Centennial Committee chose Eiffel’s plan of an open-lattice wrought-iron tower that would reach almost 1,000 feet above Paris and be the world’s tallest man-made structure. Eiffel, a noted bridge builder, was a master of metal construction and designed the framework of the Statue of Liberty that had recently been erected in New York Harbor.
Eiffel’s tower was greeted with skepticism from critics who argued that it would be structurally unsound, and indignation from others who thought it would be an eyesore in the heart of Paris. Unperturbed, Eiffel completed his great tower under budget in just two years. Only one worker lost his life during construction, which at the time was a remarkably low casualty number for a project of that magnitude. The light, airy structure was by all accounts a technological wonder and within a few decades came to be regarded as an architectural masterpiece.
The Eiffel Tower is 984 feet tall and consists of an iron framework supported on four masonry piers, from which rise four columns that unite to form a single vertical tower. Platforms, each with an observation deck, are at three levels. Elevators ascend the piers on a curve, and Eiffel contracted the Otis Elevator Company of the United States to design the tower’s famous glass-cage elevators.
The elevators were not completed by March 31, 1889, however, so Gustave Eiffel ascended the tower’s stairs with a few hardy companions and raised an enormous French tricolor on the structure’s flagpole. Fireworks were then set off from the second platform. Eiffel and his party descended, and the architect addressed the guests and about 200 workers. In early May, the Paris International Exposition opened, and the tower served as the entrance gateway to the giant fair.
The Eiffel Tower remained the world’s tallest man-made structure until the completion of the Chrysler Building in New York in 1930. Incredibly, the Eiffel Tower was almost demolished when the International Exposition’s 20-year lease on the land expired in 1909, but its value as an antenna for radio transmission saved it. It remains largely unchanged today and is one of the world’s premier tourist attractions.
Also on this day:
1854 Treaty of Kanagawa signed with Japan
1939 Britain & France agree to support Poland if invaded by Germany
1943 “Oklahoma!” premieres on Broadway
1967 Jimi Hendrix burns his guitar on stage for the first time
1999 Evidence of murder is uncovered in New Mexico
1999 “The Matrix” released in theaters
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1943 Christopher [Ronald] Walken - American actor (The Deer Hunter, A View to a Kill)
1922 Patrick Magee [McGee] - Northern Irish actor (A Clockwork Orange; Barry Lyndon)
1732 Franz Joseph Haydn - Austrian composer of the classical period
1685 Johann Sebastian Bach - German composer
1596 René Descartes - French philosopher
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2016 Ronnie Corbett - British comedian (The Two Ronnies)
1980 Jesse Owens - American athlete (4 Olympic gold 1936)
1913 J. P. Morgan, Sr. [John Pierpont] - American financier and banker (General Electric, US Steel Corporation, AT&T)
1837 John Constable - English landscape painter (The Hay Wain)
1727 Sir Isaac Newton - English physicist and astronomer (Principia)
The Funnies:
On the Menu Today – Beef Stroganoff
I got this new recipe app. I am having issues with the security.
I want my password to be BeefStew, but the app keeps telling me it’s not stroganoff.
I like adding in some golden mushroom soup and reducing the amount of fresh mushrooms.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds beef sirloin steak, 1/2 inch thick
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (2 1/2 cups)
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups beef flavored broth (from 32-ounce carton)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3 cups hot cooked egg noodles
Directions
1 Cut beef across grain into about 1 1/2x1/2-inch strips.
2 Cook mushrooms, onions and garlic in butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender; remove from skillet.
3 Cook beef in same skillet until brown. Stir in 1 cup of the broth, the salt and Worcestershire sauce. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.
4 Stir remaining 1/2 cup broth into flour; stir into beef mixture. Add onion mixture; heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in sour cream; heat until hot (do not boil). Serve over noodles.
Quote of the Day:
“I’m going to give you a little advice. There’s a force in the universe that makes things happen. And all you have to do is get in touch with it, stop thinking, let things happen, and be the ball.” - Ty Webb, Caddyshack
Comic of the Day:
Mouseover: “You can click to preorder to get a copy of What If? 2 when it comes out 9/13, assuming we all make it past the spider situation(?) on Tuesday(?).”
Image Credit: XKCD
Inspirobot Always Controversial, Occasionally Inspirational Quote of the Day:
Read @jontydda 's soupy Spark! from yesterday here . Don’t forget to leave some spice!
