How many steps are there in the Eiffel Tower

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Q.� Rather!

A.� Very well. The tower was built to grace the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1889, which also marked the centenary of the French Revolution. The architect was Stephen Sauvestre; Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier were the engineers; and the contractor was Gustave Eiffel. Construction started on 23 January, 1887, and took two years, two months and five days. Eifeel's design was chosen after design competition attracted 700 entries. The Prince of Wales - later Edward VII - opened the tower.

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Q.� And was it a popular addition to the Paris skyline

A.� Not universally. A petition was drawn up of 300 worthies to protest against its construction. They included the men of letters Maupassant, Emile Zola and Dumas the Younger as well as Charles Garnier, architect of the Op�ra Garnier. A later book on architecture said of the tower: '... [it] was the greatest affront not only to the architecture of Paris, but also to the eye of the Parisian, for whom its structural logic and revolutionary aesthetic language were incomprehensible'.

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Q.� How many worked on its construction

A.� About 300. They handled 18,038 steel pieces and used 2.5 million rivets. One worker was killed during the construction.

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Q.� Height

A.� 986ft - that's 300,51 metres (plus or minus 6in, depending on temperature). It's 1,052ft if you include the television antenna - and an aerial became vital in the survival of the tower, as we shall see. It weighs 7,000 tons and its base is 412 sq ft. It needs repainting every seven years - and that needs 50 tons of dark brown paint.

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Q.� And it's still a huge tourist attraction

A.� Oh yes - the most recent figure I have is for 1996, when it attracted 5.53 million visitors. It's estimated that 167.66 million have visited since it opened. It was the tallest structure in the world until 1930 when the Chrysler Building rose in New York. It kept second-tallest title for two years until the Empire State Building (click here for a feature upon that).

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Q.� Other uses

A.� It's been used in a number of publicity stunts. A journalist rose down its stairs on a bicycle in 1923. A mountaineer scaled it in 1954. Two Englishman parachuted from it in 1984. Oh - and the greatest publicity stunt of all - the Nazi flag was hoisted on the Eiffel Tower as German army entered and occupied Paris on 14 June, 1940.

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Q.� I meant its use for telecommunications ...

A.� Indeed. It has been used as a base for aerials for French television since 1957 and radio since 1918. And early in the 20th Century, somebody had the bright idea of using it for the fledgling telegraphy. In 1909, that saved the tower's life. Plans were afoot to demolish it until its use as an antenna was pointed out.

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Steve Cunningham