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Eiffel Tower, Did You Know?

Eiffel Tower

It’s 126 years since the famous Iron Lady was inaugurated in time for the 1889 World Fair in Paris.

It is now one of  the most visited monuments in the world and around seven million people climb its stairs or take the lift to one of its three levels each year.

But it’s worth remembering that it was not always this popular. When construction began in July 1887, a group of around 300 artists, sculptors and architects sent a petition to the commissioner of the Paris exhibition demanding that he halt construction of the “ridiculous tower”.

Here are 12 facts about the Eiffel Tower:

1. Two years, two months and five days – That’s how long it took to build the Eiffel Tower, with construction beginning in 1887.

2. 7,799,401.31 – That’s what it cost in French gold Francs to build the monument.

3. 324 metres – That’s the height of the Eiffel Tower, including the antenna at the top. That works out at 1,063 feet. Without the antenna it is 300 metres tall (984 feet).

4. Six inches – That’s how much the tower grows in the sun. Yes the Eiffel Tower grows when it gets hot and shrinks in the cold. Although this is fairly hard to see with the naked eye.

5. 10,000 tonnes – That’s how much the Iron Lady weighs.

6. 20 years – That’s how long the Eiffel Tower was originally designed to last. It was built by Gustave Eiffel to commemorate the French Revolution and show off France’s industrial might. The removal men were meant to pull it down after 20 years, but Eiffel appears to have persuaded them to have a change of heart. The fact that the tower could be used as a wireless telegraph transmitter, made it fairly useful and saved it from the wrecking ball.

7. 103,000 kilometres – That’s the distance one lift travels each year, according the site livescience.com, which, to put into perspective is two and a half times the circumference of the earth. There are steps up to the top – 1,710 of them – but visitors can only walk up to the first floor.

8. 18 – That’s the number of times the iron lady has been repainted over the years. It takes a mammoth 60 tonnes of paint to give it a first coat. 

9.  41 years – That’s how long the Eiffel Tower was the world’s tallest building for, before the Chrysler Building in New York came along and stole its mantle.

10. 250 million – That’s the number of people who have paid a visit to the Eiffel Tower over the years. 

11. 1944 – The year when the Eiffel Tower could have been pulled down. Hitler ordered the German military governor of France to tear it down but he refused.

12. Six to seven metres – This is the amount the Eiffel Tower sways in the wind.

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Wembley, Did You Know?

Wembley Stadium

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wembley in Numbers
• At its peak, there were more than 3,500 construction workers on site.
• 4,000 separate piles form the foundations of the new stadium, the deepest of which is 35 m (115 ft).
• There are 56 km (35 mi) of heavy-duty power cables in the stadium.
• 90,000 m3 (120,000 yd3) of concrete and 23,000 tonnes (25,000 short tons) of steel were used in the construction of the new stadium
• 2,618 toilets
• 47 retail units
• 164 turnstiles
• 26 lifts
• 30 escalators
• 34 bars
• 8 restaurants
• 688 food and drink service points
• 98 kitchens
• The seats are spread over three tiers: lower 34,303, middle 16,532 and upper 39,165

General Stadium Facts
• The new Wembley reopened its doors in 2007
• The original Wembley Stadium was known as the Empire Stadium, and was built as the centrepiece of a British Empire Exhibition at the end of the First World War
• The stadium has a circumference of 1 km
• There are 107 steps in the trophy presentation route – the old stadium had 39 steps
• The new Wembley encloses 4,000,000 m³ inside its walls and under its roof. This is the equivalent of 25,000 double-decker buses or 7 billion pints of milk
• The deepest of the piles that form the foundations, at 35 metres, is as deep as the Twin Towers were tall
• The new pitch is four metres lower than the previous pitch
• The stadium’s pitch is enhanced by desso technology which combines synthetic grass with the real Wembley grass to strengthen the surface
• This system provides a consistently high standard playing surface at Wembley and enables the multi-use venue to host football, rugby, American football and music events
• The pitch is covered by specially designed protective panels for rock concerts which creates space for up 25,000 fans to stand
• Each of the two giant screens in new stadium is the size of 600 domestic television sets
• The total length of the escalators is the same as a 400 metre running track
• The Royal Box is in the traditional position – in the middle of the north stand – as in the old Wembley Stadium

The Arch and the Roof
• The most striking, highly visible feature of the stadium is 133 metre tall arch that sits above the north stand
• With a span of 315 metres, the arch is the longest single span roof structure in the world and is visible right across London
• With a diameter of 7.4 metres the arch is wide enough for a Channel Tunnel train to run through
• A representative from every county in England was involved in the construction of the arch
• The stadium roof rises to 52 metres above the pitch. This compares to the 35 metres tall Twin Towers of the old stadium
• The roof is over 11 acres, of which four of the acres are retractable
• The stadium has a sliding roof design which allows the pitch to be exposed to direct sunlight and ventilation whilst ensuring that spectators are covered
• The arch supports all of the weight of the north roof and 60 per cent of the weight of the southern side
• The arch ensures that there are no pillars in the new stadium which could obstruct the views of fans

The Seats
• The stadium has 90,000 seats with no obstructed views
• There are 310 wheelchair spaces and 400 press seats
• The rows of seating, if placed end to end, would stretch 54 kilometres
• There is more leg room in every seat in Wembley Stadium than there was in the Royal Box of the old stadium
• The stadium was designed with stands that are higher and closer to the pitch than the original stadium and with better uninterrupted views

 

 

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