1 00:00:01,480 --> 00:00:04,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you should know, a production of I 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Jacques Clark, 3 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:19,319 Speaker 1: and there's Charles Brand and there's Jerry Roland out there, 4 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 1: and this is stuff you should know. That's right, The 5 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:30,320 Speaker 1: Eiffel Tower Edition at Long Last. Yeah, you've been there, right, Yes, 6 00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 1: I love the Eiffel Tower. It's great. I don't care 7 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:37,519 Speaker 1: what anyone says about tourist traps. It can be a 8 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 1: little disheartening there at the bottom when you're you know, 9 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:42,960 Speaker 1: they're selling glow noodles and dumb chot keys and stuff 10 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:46,000 Speaker 1: like that. But block all that out in the Eiffel 11 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:51,840 Speaker 1: Tower is an amazing, amazing thing to behold. It is amazing. Um, 12 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:53,840 Speaker 1: it's also chuck. I don't know if you notice or not, 13 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:57,000 Speaker 1: but it is where I developed my fear of heights. Really, 14 00:00:57,640 --> 00:01:01,040 Speaker 1: it happened on the Eiffel Tower. I was never, for ever, ever, 15 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:04,080 Speaker 1: for a moment in my life afraid of heights until 16 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 1: I went up the Eiffel Tower. And it took me 17 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:08,440 Speaker 1: like an hour to get down because I was so 18 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:12,199 Speaker 1: afraid of falling off, even though it's impossible to fall 19 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:16,080 Speaker 1: off because like there's fencing everywhere, like you can't fall off. 20 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:18,800 Speaker 1: But I mean I must have looked like the biggest 21 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:22,319 Speaker 1: psycho trying to come down the steps of this thing, 22 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 1: and it happened. I was like seventeen. I was with 23 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 1: my dad and sister and you didn't take the elevator. No, 24 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:29,760 Speaker 1: we walked up the first floor and we got to 25 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:31,480 Speaker 1: the top and I looked down and it was just 26 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: like lights out that just from the first floor. You were, yeah, 27 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:39,200 Speaker 1: oh yeah, I've never been higher than that, but I've 28 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:41,840 Speaker 1: I've had a fear of heights ever since then. Well, 29 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: I think these days. Uh was your dad like man, No, No, 30 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 1: he was never like just kidding um now he just 31 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 1: quietly judged me exactly. The first two floors, I think 32 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:58,320 Speaker 1: of the only ones you can still walk up, um 33 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 1: by staircase. But uh, previously you could. You could walk 34 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:04,520 Speaker 1: all the way to the tippy top. In fact, you 35 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:08,359 Speaker 1: said ten steps. Yeah. The first couple of weeks the 36 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:10,239 Speaker 1: Eiffel Tower was open. If you wanted to go to 37 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:12,440 Speaker 1: the top, you had to walk up, and that took 38 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:16,600 Speaker 1: an hour for people to climbing stairs. For an hour. No, 39 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:19,399 Speaker 1: I would lose my mind because I'd be up so high. 40 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:22,080 Speaker 1: I would just start crying. Yeah, I mean I would 41 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 1: have had heart failure probably halfway up, so neither one 42 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:28,160 Speaker 1: of us would have made it. It would have Yeah, No, 43 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 1: it would have been a lot for sure. Um And 44 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:35,120 Speaker 1: apparently during well we'll talk about that later. There's a 45 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:37,040 Speaker 1: little teaser for you. You You guys don't even know what 46 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:39,720 Speaker 1: I'm talking about. So when you come up on the 47 00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:42,680 Speaker 1: Eiffel Tower, the first thing you're gonna walk upon is 48 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:47,080 Speaker 1: what's known as the Esplanada, which is that that whole 49 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:50,400 Speaker 1: big ground level part of the Eiffel Tower with those 50 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:57,840 Speaker 1: four massive, massive iron pillars at cardinal, north, southeast, and west. Yes, 51 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:01,360 Speaker 1: it's pretty hard to miss, and they cover something like 52 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:04,360 Speaker 1: four acres of footprint between them. I think they're like 53 00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:09,799 Speaker 1: fifteen thousand square feet or something like that. More than that. Um, 54 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:12,959 Speaker 1: And like you said, they're all oriented to the cardinal directions, 55 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:16,239 Speaker 1: and if you follow upwards, it's very tough not to 56 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:20,000 Speaker 1: look up when you're at the Eiffel Tower. Up you 57 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 1: you have to be a real jerk, you know, like 58 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:24,519 Speaker 1: Castanza level jerk to go to the Eiffel Tower and 59 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: not look up. But um, you would, you would see 60 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:30,079 Speaker 1: that each of these four pillars go up, up, up, 61 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:32,919 Speaker 1: and they come together, um a little further up, a 62 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:36,680 Speaker 1: little above the second platform, and um they go all 63 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:39,200 Speaker 1: the way up in a single joint tower from that 64 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:42,640 Speaker 1: moment on. And it's really kind of neat if you 65 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 1: stop and think about what you're looking at, these four 66 00:03:45,480 --> 00:03:48,960 Speaker 1: for um posts kind of starting separately and then coming 67 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:52,520 Speaker 1: together to form this this tower. Um. But it's also 68 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:56,000 Speaker 1: just a marvel of engineering. Like I had always heard 69 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 1: that was like an engineering masterpiece or whatever. But and 70 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:02,200 Speaker 1: so I researching, and I had no idea exactly with 71 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:07,200 Speaker 1: that man, But it is an masterpiece of engineering for sure. Yeah. 72 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:09,320 Speaker 1: And it's a you know, it's a lovely scene aside 73 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:12,720 Speaker 1: from all the trappings of tourism. Uh. There's a lot 74 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:16,120 Speaker 1: of green space around it, there are other monuments, it's 75 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:18,800 Speaker 1: right there by the river. Uh. It's it's just a 76 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:21,680 Speaker 1: really kind of a lovely scene. Like if you can 77 00:04:21,760 --> 00:04:25,360 Speaker 1: manage to find some off hours to go where it's 78 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:28,719 Speaker 1: not quite so crowded, which I have done, Um, you 79 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 1: really get a different sort of experience. But it is 80 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:33,840 Speaker 1: what it is. It's a it's a it's one of 81 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:36,920 Speaker 1: the biggest tourist attractions in the world. So it's like, 82 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:40,440 Speaker 1: you know, you can't go stand on the the popular 83 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:43,360 Speaker 1: edge of the Grand Canyon without being surrounded by hundreds 84 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:47,200 Speaker 1: of people. UM, so don't expect to just sort of 85 00:04:47,279 --> 00:04:49,440 Speaker 1: keep that in the back of your head. Sure, I 86 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:53,680 Speaker 1: mean it's the number one, it's the most visited paid 87 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:56,560 Speaker 1: tourist attraction in the world. I didn't know that. I 88 00:04:56,600 --> 00:04:59,760 Speaker 1: believe something like three million people have been there. But 89 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:03,960 Speaker 1: that's just counting the paying customers. That's not including the 90 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:07,040 Speaker 1: cheap skates like me and you, Me and my brother 91 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:09,640 Speaker 1: and sister in law and niece who went and visited 92 00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:13,240 Speaker 1: and didn't pay to go up. Most recently, we just 93 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:17,240 Speaker 1: walked around and kept walking. I've never been up. Oh 94 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:21,159 Speaker 1: you haven't you just three times? Never even had the 95 00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:24,200 Speaker 1: urge to stand in those lines and go to the top. 96 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 1: I'll tell you what, chuck. You just go onto YouTube 97 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:28,640 Speaker 1: and people have filmed it before. You don't have to 98 00:05:28,680 --> 00:05:30,719 Speaker 1: don't have to do anything. You don't have to leave 99 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:33,040 Speaker 1: your house. And I saw the crowds on those elevators 100 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:34,479 Speaker 1: and at the top, and I was like, I don't 101 00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:37,039 Speaker 1: need this, I don't like it. I'd rather just walk 102 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:40,320 Speaker 1: around and drink some wine and look at it. Yeah, 103 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 1: I mean it's really impressive. Just walking around the basis 104 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:44,760 Speaker 1: of the whole thing, like, you definitely get a feel 105 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:46,720 Speaker 1: for it. And yeah, if you're afraid of heights, it's 106 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:51,160 Speaker 1: all you need to do. Um. So, talking about this thing, 107 00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:54,200 Speaker 1: there's there's actually three levels that you can get to. 108 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:57,039 Speaker 1: There's that first level where I lost my mind. Then 109 00:05:57,640 --> 00:05:59,640 Speaker 1: it goes further up to a second level, and then 110 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:01,720 Speaker 1: there's a third level and third levels like almost nine 111 00:06:02,160 --> 00:06:05,400 Speaker 1: feet in the air. It's about three a little less 112 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:08,560 Speaker 1: than three ds that that third platform. And at each 113 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:11,400 Speaker 1: of these platforms there's like stuff to do. It's not 114 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:14,599 Speaker 1: just like a steel platform that you step onto and 115 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:18,200 Speaker 1: look out and that's it. There's restaurants, there's shops on 116 00:06:18,279 --> 00:06:21,000 Speaker 1: that top platform where so many people apparently like two 117 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:25,840 Speaker 1: people a day propose. Um. There's like a champagne bar. Um. 118 00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:28,720 Speaker 1: It's there's just a lot of really neat, little interesting 119 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:31,839 Speaker 1: details that make the Eiffel Tower the Eiffel Tower. But 120 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:34,159 Speaker 1: even more than that, even more than just this the 121 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:37,440 Speaker 1: you know, the glow noodles that you can only get 122 00:06:37,760 --> 00:06:41,280 Speaker 1: there at the Eiffel Tower. Um, what makes it so 123 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:45,120 Speaker 1: unique is just the design of it, the execution of it, 124 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:48,560 Speaker 1: the fact that it's still around, and then also um, 125 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:50,480 Speaker 1: some of the things that have happened, Like it's it's 126 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:54,440 Speaker 1: an iconic structure, and when that many people flock to 127 00:06:54,520 --> 00:06:57,680 Speaker 1: it every year for more than a century, Um, it's 128 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:01,480 Speaker 1: going to have like a pretty rich history to you. Yeah, 129 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:04,160 Speaker 1: I mean, um, you talked about the restaurants. If you 130 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:07,440 Speaker 1: want to eat at the nicest restaurant, it'll be the 131 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:10,280 Speaker 1: Jewels Urn And I was just kind of curious about 132 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:12,760 Speaker 1: their menu. It looks very good. But it looks so good, 133 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:15,840 Speaker 1: it is pricey. It is your your seven course dinner 134 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:18,920 Speaker 1: tasting menu is gonna run you about two seventy five 135 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:24,240 Speaker 1: bucks each euros dollars buck a Roogs. Uh. And that's 136 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:27,320 Speaker 1: without its two thirty euros I think. And that's without 137 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:30,320 Speaker 1: wine or anything like. I think it's without wine. It 138 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:33,600 Speaker 1: didn't say anything about with a pairing, but um, it 139 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:36,640 Speaker 1: only goes up from there. So I imagine it's quite 140 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:39,600 Speaker 1: a dining experience. Maybe one day I'll save about my 141 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:42,840 Speaker 1: bucks and make a reservation. Because if you do have 142 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:46,560 Speaker 1: a reservation, you can you can kind of skip most 143 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:48,320 Speaker 1: of the line and go straight there, which is kind 144 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:50,640 Speaker 1: of nice. Yeah if you Yeah, you can just take 145 00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:53,280 Speaker 1: an elevator straight to the Jewels Burn restaurant. I'm sad 146 00:07:53,320 --> 00:07:55,800 Speaker 1: because I'll probably never eat there because I'll be too 147 00:07:55,800 --> 00:07:58,880 Speaker 1: scared to go up. Yeah. OK, care she can go 148 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:02,440 Speaker 1: to another great restaurant and just pretend you're off the ground. 149 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:05,240 Speaker 1: But that's the point. I don't want to pretend like 150 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:07,920 Speaker 1: your feet are firmly planted on the ground. And another 151 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:11,000 Speaker 1: cool thing that they have is uh, and this is 152 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:12,640 Speaker 1: something that I didn't know because I've never been up 153 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:17,760 Speaker 1: there is uh, Gustav Eiffel built himself an apartment up top. 154 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:22,440 Speaker 1: And this thing has not really been touched since then. 155 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:24,880 Speaker 1: I mean they've they've kept it in order, but um, 156 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:27,520 Speaker 1: I think ed said they had recreated it. But apparently 157 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:31,040 Speaker 1: that's the real thing that has just sort of left untouched. Um. 158 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:34,520 Speaker 1: It's got a living room with a table, couch, a piano, 159 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:37,920 Speaker 1: grand piano, a few desks, kitchen, bathroom. There is no 160 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:41,120 Speaker 1: bedroom and by all accounts he probably did not sleep there. 161 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:44,680 Speaker 1: But back in the day in Paris, it became quite 162 00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:48,160 Speaker 1: the talk of the town and just made um rich. 163 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:52,760 Speaker 1: Parisians just seethed with jealousy, and he was offered huge, 164 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:56,040 Speaker 1: huge sums of money from people just to like airbnb 165 00:08:56,200 --> 00:08:58,640 Speaker 1: it for a night, and he declined every single time. 166 00:08:58,640 --> 00:09:01,080 Speaker 1: He never allowed anyone to rent it out and spend 167 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:03,400 Speaker 1: the night. Well, you know, one of the things that 168 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:06,319 Speaker 1: I keep running up against during research of the Eiffel 169 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:10,400 Speaker 1: Towers that it was a democratizing structure, because up to 170 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:12,880 Speaker 1: the point when the Eiffel Tower opened to the public, 171 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:15,360 Speaker 1: if you wanted a really amazing view of Paris, you 172 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:17,720 Speaker 1: basically had to rent a hot air balloon ride that 173 00:09:17,840 --> 00:09:19,760 Speaker 1: was your your one shot at it. And you had 174 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:22,000 Speaker 1: to be very very rich to do that, to go 175 00:09:22,080 --> 00:09:24,880 Speaker 1: up in a balloon, and and so I mean that's 176 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:27,440 Speaker 1: just the way it was until Gustave Eiffel and then 177 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:30,160 Speaker 1: the the leaders of Paris and France came along as 178 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:33,800 Speaker 1: it was to build this three tower um and open 179 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:35,520 Speaker 1: it to the public. I mean, yeah, you had to pay, 180 00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:38,440 Speaker 1: but it was a reasonable price and just about everybody 181 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:40,880 Speaker 1: could afford it. And and now you could walk up 182 00:09:40,920 --> 00:09:42,800 Speaker 1: and see these amazing views of Paris that to that 183 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:45,280 Speaker 1: point had been reserved only for the very wealthy, which 184 00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:48,079 Speaker 1: again I just keep seeing it referred to as a 185 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:53,600 Speaker 1: democratizing structure. All right, So let's talk about the man himself, right, Yeah, 186 00:09:53,679 --> 00:09:58,079 Speaker 1: Gustave eiffel Um, who is widely credit is the guy 187 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:02,199 Speaker 1: who created this this structure, but it was definitely a collaboration, 188 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:05,000 Speaker 1: and I don't he never seemed to make any any 189 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:08,160 Speaker 1: secret of that. But he was definitely the head cheese 190 00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:10,120 Speaker 1: on the whole thing. But he didn't create this whole 191 00:10:10,120 --> 00:10:13,599 Speaker 1: thing by himself. I think you mean the head brisk 192 00:10:14,559 --> 00:10:18,480 Speaker 1: I met head cheese cross, so he was. I can 193 00:10:18,559 --> 00:10:21,240 Speaker 1: never get over that word. Um, it's terrible. He was 194 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:24,360 Speaker 1: born in eighteen thirty two and was an engineer by trade. 195 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:29,920 Speaker 1: I went to engineering school at uh cal Tech. Now 196 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:31,559 Speaker 1: I thought you were going to do that. You want 197 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:33,960 Speaker 1: me to say it? Okay? He went to the Cole 198 00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:39,599 Speaker 1: Central des Arts manufacturers. That's right, and uh he was 199 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:42,680 Speaker 1: well regarded as an engineer all over France and Europe. 200 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:46,679 Speaker 1: Um had a consultancy firm, had his own workshop, had 201 00:10:46,679 --> 00:10:50,320 Speaker 1: his own construction company. And it should be noted that 202 00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:53,720 Speaker 1: he was an engineer first and foremost. He was not 203 00:10:53,760 --> 00:10:58,360 Speaker 1: an architect. He was obsessed with function um and mechanics 204 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:01,480 Speaker 1: and strength of any structure he built, because he built 205 00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:04,680 Speaker 1: things like railroad bridges, where he really needed it to 206 00:11:04,760 --> 00:11:08,480 Speaker 1: be strong and maybe pretty. Second, um, he did like 207 00:11:08,559 --> 00:11:10,480 Speaker 1: things to look nice. It's not like that's all he 208 00:11:10,520 --> 00:11:14,040 Speaker 1: cared about. But he was very big into structure and 209 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:16,960 Speaker 1: form and function. Uh. And was also a big believer 210 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:20,440 Speaker 1: in iron as opposed to steal, which you know, this 211 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:22,480 Speaker 1: one could have been all steel. So it was around 212 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:26,800 Speaker 1: could he steal? But for something this big, he was like, 213 00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:30,000 Speaker 1: iron is what it has to be built out of. Well, 214 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:32,640 Speaker 1: that's what he was like, you know, that was his trade, 215 00:11:32,720 --> 00:11:36,000 Speaker 1: Like he knew iron, and had he moved into steel, 216 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:37,760 Speaker 1: he would have been out of his depth. This is 217 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:40,480 Speaker 1: not a project where one should be out of their depth, right. 218 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:44,240 Speaker 1: But then also steel would have been prohibitively expensive. It 219 00:11:44,280 --> 00:11:47,040 Speaker 1: was still a pretty new technology, so I thought that 220 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:50,120 Speaker 1: was another reason he didn't use steel. But so as iron, 221 00:11:50,160 --> 00:11:52,880 Speaker 1: and it's a specific kind of iron, it's um puddled 222 00:11:53,360 --> 00:11:57,920 Speaker 1: raw iron to where during the the the smelting process 223 00:11:57,960 --> 00:12:02,160 Speaker 1: you actually swirl it would keeps the impurities from crystallizing 224 00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:04,719 Speaker 1: into the structure of the of the iron. So it's 225 00:12:04,840 --> 00:12:07,840 Speaker 1: actual raw iron. That's what the the Eiffel Tower is 226 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:10,600 Speaker 1: made out of. But if you put those two things together, 227 00:12:10,679 --> 00:12:13,960 Speaker 1: that he's an engineer, not an artist, and his his 228 00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:16,880 Speaker 1: his expertise is in iron. All of it kind of 229 00:12:16,880 --> 00:12:20,040 Speaker 1: culminates into this the Eiffel Tower. It's like it makes 230 00:12:20,120 --> 00:12:22,440 Speaker 1: total sense what you're looking at, Like it couldn't have 231 00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:26,559 Speaker 1: been anything else. Um. But it also kind of underscores 232 00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:29,000 Speaker 1: just how much of a masterpiece it is under those 233 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:32,760 Speaker 1: two constraints. Yeah, and he was Another little fun fact 234 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:36,560 Speaker 1: is when the person that was charged with building the 235 00:12:36,600 --> 00:12:40,199 Speaker 1: internal structure of the Statue of Liberty died, he came 236 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:43,400 Speaker 1: in as an emergency replacement and he took on that 237 00:12:43,440 --> 00:12:46,400 Speaker 1: project and he built that internal lattice work the Great 238 00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:50,160 Speaker 1: Statue of Liberty. Uh. And he also financed the Eiffel 239 00:12:50,200 --> 00:12:55,040 Speaker 1: Tower largely um. The Paris and France said hey, let's 240 00:12:55,480 --> 00:12:58,840 Speaker 1: let's have this contest because we have a World's Fair 241 00:12:58,880 --> 00:13:00,800 Speaker 1: coming up in eighteen nineteen nine and we want a big, 242 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:07,640 Speaker 1: big tower. What did I say, eighty nine? And he Uh, 243 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:11,360 Speaker 1: he got one point five million francs from the state 244 00:13:11,559 --> 00:13:14,080 Speaker 1: is seed money, but it was gonna cost about six 245 00:13:14,120 --> 00:13:17,280 Speaker 1: point five million. And this became one of the first 246 00:13:18,040 --> 00:13:20,360 Speaker 1: sort of Uh, what we look at now is how 247 00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:23,000 Speaker 1: you finance projects like this one of the first ones 248 00:13:23,080 --> 00:13:26,959 Speaker 1: to do it like this public private partnership. Well, yeah, 249 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:30,520 Speaker 1: I mean he went out in and issued shares. Uh, 250 00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:34,040 Speaker 1: he started an LLC, issued two kinds of shares and 251 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:37,199 Speaker 1: raised the other five million francs to build this thing, 252 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:42,520 Speaker 1: and as a result had twenty years um to recoup 253 00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:46,559 Speaker 1: money from ticket sales and souvenirs and champagne bottles and 254 00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:49,600 Speaker 1: stuff like that, in which he would pay the stuff back, 255 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:52,800 Speaker 1: and in that time he and his shareholders made a 256 00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:55,160 Speaker 1: lot of money in the process. Yeah. But what I 257 00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:57,560 Speaker 1: saw was he was such a good businessman that he 258 00:13:57,640 --> 00:14:00,640 Speaker 1: managed to get the you know, all the all the 259 00:14:00,679 --> 00:14:04,160 Speaker 1: proceeds from you know, admission and concessions and all that 260 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:08,800 Speaker 1: stuff for twenty years from the exposition founders. But then 261 00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:10,680 Speaker 1: he also with the people he went and raised the 262 00:14:10,679 --> 00:14:13,000 Speaker 1: money from, they didn't get a huge cut of that either. 263 00:14:13,080 --> 00:14:16,319 Speaker 1: So he made out like a total bandit in this deal. Um, 264 00:14:16,360 --> 00:14:19,360 Speaker 1: he didn't screw anybody over, swindle anybody. It was just 265 00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:22,600 Speaker 1: a really good deal that he made for himself. But 266 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:25,120 Speaker 1: it required a lot of vision to like he you know, 267 00:14:25,160 --> 00:14:27,080 Speaker 1: he put his own his own took us in his 268 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:31,920 Speaker 1: own reputation on the line. Um with this one big project. Yeah, 269 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:33,240 Speaker 1: it may have been the kind of thing where they 270 00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:35,840 Speaker 1: made a certain amount of money back that was kept. 271 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:38,400 Speaker 1: I don't really know, because his shareholders made a lot 272 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:40,600 Speaker 1: of money to like you, if you invested in the 273 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:42,800 Speaker 1: Eiffel Tower, you didn't do it out of the goodness 274 00:14:42,840 --> 00:14:45,280 Speaker 1: of your heart. You made some dough sure, sure, but 275 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:47,320 Speaker 1: I think there was a lot of a certain amount 276 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:51,080 Speaker 1: of like um municipal pride in in that project, especially 277 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:54,320 Speaker 1: with the proponents of the project UM and the whole 278 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:58,080 Speaker 1: the whole design contest to to create an iconic structure 279 00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:01,680 Speaker 1: for the ten eighty nine World Fair in Paris. Um. 280 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:05,360 Speaker 1: Apparently it was at first kind of vague, and I 281 00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:08,640 Speaker 1: even saw that it was um Uh. It was Eiffel 282 00:15:08,720 --> 00:15:11,920 Speaker 1: himself who suggested that they have this design competition, and 283 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:14,160 Speaker 1: if that isn't the case, he at the very least 284 00:15:14,200 --> 00:15:17,720 Speaker 1: kind of guided the details of what they were looking 285 00:15:17,720 --> 00:15:21,400 Speaker 1: for until it basically was his tower. Um. The other 286 00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:25,560 Speaker 1: big competitor was a guy named um Jules Bourdet, and 287 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:29,400 Speaker 1: he wanted to make his three D tower out of stone, 288 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:33,680 Speaker 1: which was total insanity. Would have killed everybody it would 289 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:36,200 Speaker 1: have It would have crumbled immediately. I don't know if 290 00:15:36,240 --> 00:15:38,800 Speaker 1: they ever would have even been able to successfully finish it. 291 00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:42,960 Speaker 1: Apparently the there there's a big push and pull intention 292 00:15:43,400 --> 00:15:50,120 Speaker 1: between Eiffel's iron and boot Boord Bourdet's stone in this side, 293 00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:54,120 Speaker 1: this kind of transition between modern and traditional and modern 294 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:58,480 Speaker 1: in the form of Eiffel's tower one out. That's right. 295 00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:01,120 Speaker 1: I think we should take a break, okay and talk 296 00:16:01,160 --> 00:16:04,600 Speaker 1: about what happened there in the lead up to nine 297 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:38,760 Speaker 1: right after this. All right, so you mentioned that it 298 00:16:38,800 --> 00:16:42,360 Speaker 1: was a collaboration, uh, and not just in the building 299 00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:45,320 Speaker 1: of it obviously, which I think range from a hundred 300 00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:47,400 Speaker 1: and fifty to three hundred people at any given time, 301 00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:50,680 Speaker 1: right little know, In fact, Eiffel did not build it himself, 302 00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:54,800 Speaker 1: saying he did not, Uh, it was designed by other 303 00:16:54,840 --> 00:17:00,480 Speaker 1: people to The initial design was by Emil Boy new 304 00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:06,760 Speaker 1: Gear and Maurice Coclean. And you know, apparently this first 305 00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:09,199 Speaker 1: design wasn't just like with anything else. It's not like 306 00:17:09,359 --> 00:17:12,000 Speaker 1: they drew it up on paper and that was it. Um. 307 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:14,639 Speaker 1: It wasn't that great. It was four iron pillars that 308 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:17,800 Speaker 1: met near the top like we're sort of familiar worth 309 00:17:18,160 --> 00:17:21,560 Speaker 1: and it was connected by grids, but it wasn't that hot. 310 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:24,040 Speaker 1: They went back to the drawing board, sent it to 311 00:17:24,080 --> 00:17:29,800 Speaker 1: an architect named Stephen uh Sevestre. You, I was gonna 312 00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:31,880 Speaker 1: say earlier, you don't need me at all, but yeah 313 00:17:31,920 --> 00:17:36,040 Speaker 1: you do, Salvesta. Sure is that how you say it? Sure? 314 00:17:36,280 --> 00:17:41,520 Speaker 1: All right? That inspires a lot of confidence. Um. And 315 00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:46,600 Speaker 1: he made it really freely, added a lot of Victorian flourishes. 316 00:17:47,359 --> 00:17:49,360 Speaker 1: They got it back from him and said, why don't 317 00:17:49,359 --> 00:17:50,879 Speaker 1: we meet in the middle, get rid of a lot 318 00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:53,439 Speaker 1: of this stuff, keep some of the stuff. And what 319 00:17:53,480 --> 00:17:57,400 Speaker 1: they ended up with was, um, sort of a magical 320 00:17:57,400 --> 00:18:00,919 Speaker 1: little compromise on the final design. Yeah. It was, like 321 00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:04,560 Speaker 1: I said, a real collaboration. Um. And what came out 322 00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:08,760 Speaker 1: of that collaboration was just something something really amazing. UM. 323 00:18:08,840 --> 00:18:11,280 Speaker 1: And the fact that each each group or each person 324 00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:15,040 Speaker 1: or you know, each everyone involved, they all worked for Eiffel. Um. 325 00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:19,040 Speaker 1: The first two were his chief chief engineers, and uh, 326 00:18:19,480 --> 00:18:22,680 Speaker 1: where is going to call him? Sylvester was his chief architect, 327 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:25,280 Speaker 1: I believe, and then along with Eiffel himself, all of 328 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:27,639 Speaker 1: them kind of adding to and subtracting and like I 329 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:30,320 Speaker 1: don't like that or I do like this. It came 330 00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:35,720 Speaker 1: to fruition. UM, and he Eiffel purchased the designs from 331 00:18:35,800 --> 00:18:39,920 Speaker 1: his employees, so that he personally owned the design outright, 332 00:18:40,080 --> 00:18:43,680 Speaker 1: which allowed him to go, um, raise money himself and 333 00:18:44,080 --> 00:18:47,720 Speaker 1: uh take in all of the the admission and concession 334 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:49,720 Speaker 1: fees that he was going to break in over the 335 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:53,919 Speaker 1: next twenty years too. Yeah, man, I wonder, I don't know. 336 00:18:54,160 --> 00:18:58,400 Speaker 1: I looked up the brand worth and and the only 337 00:18:58,400 --> 00:19:01,200 Speaker 1: thing I could find was from like seven years ago. 338 00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:05,000 Speaker 1: In the Eiffel brand at that time was worth like 339 00:19:05,119 --> 00:19:10,120 Speaker 1: four hundred and thirty billion dollars euros. As I saw 340 00:19:10,160 --> 00:19:12,119 Speaker 1: that too, Oh, I thought that was in dollars. Was 341 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:14,640 Speaker 1: that in euros? I'm pretty sure it was in euros, 342 00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:18,040 Speaker 1: But it's I mean, that is just a crazy amount 343 00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:19,800 Speaker 1: of money. And it's a shame that he couldn't work 344 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:22,679 Speaker 1: out some sort of a stake in that early on 345 00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:26,639 Speaker 1: that could have been passed down to his heirs. Yeah, 346 00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:28,720 Speaker 1: because he he was able to break that in for 347 00:19:28,840 --> 00:19:30,840 Speaker 1: just the first twenty years. And the reason why twenty 348 00:19:30,880 --> 00:19:33,240 Speaker 1: years is such a significant number, Chuck, I did not 349 00:19:33,359 --> 00:19:36,840 Speaker 1: know this, but the original part of that design competition 350 00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:40,120 Speaker 1: was that this this structure, the winning structure, was going 351 00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:42,600 Speaker 1: to only stand for twenty years and then it would 352 00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:46,040 Speaker 1: be disassembled to make way for something new, and that 353 00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:50,000 Speaker 1: was really in the tradition of World's fairs. Um, it's 354 00:19:50,119 --> 00:19:54,000 Speaker 1: very rare for any structures to remain for very long, 355 00:19:54,119 --> 00:19:56,320 Speaker 1: more than a couple of decades after a World's Fair, 356 00:19:56,600 --> 00:20:00,240 Speaker 1: because they're just they're meant to be temporary. They're to 357 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:02,359 Speaker 1: be part of the world's fair and to commemorate the 358 00:20:02,359 --> 00:20:04,879 Speaker 1: world's fair. But then you have more World's Fairs that 359 00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:07,679 Speaker 1: come along, and progress is to be made, and so 360 00:20:07,760 --> 00:20:10,280 Speaker 1: the old structures get torn down and new ones get 361 00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:13,919 Speaker 1: um built in their place. So the Eiffel Tower was 362 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:17,560 Speaker 1: going to just live for twenty years and then be disassembled. Yeah, 363 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:19,399 Speaker 1: I bet you that does have something to do with it, 364 00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:23,840 Speaker 1: because if you look at any most World's Fair structures 365 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:26,600 Speaker 1: over the years, they do end up looking very dated, 366 00:20:26,680 --> 00:20:28,199 Speaker 1: Like this is the only one I can think of 367 00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:33,240 Speaker 1: that really had this indelible iconic design, um, And they 368 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:37,399 Speaker 1: probably just don't want that reminder of you know, the 369 00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:41,320 Speaker 1: Knoxville World's Fair right years later. It looks really kind 370 00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:44,480 Speaker 1: of silly, right, Well, the Sun's Fear is still around, weird, 371 00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:49,960 Speaker 1: is it? Yes, as far as I know, Yeah, yeah, 372 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:52,560 Speaker 1: it was Knoxville with the sun's fear. I'm almost positive. 373 00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:55,240 Speaker 1: But there was another building built. I mean, like, if 374 00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:57,080 Speaker 1: you look at some of the buildings that were built 375 00:20:57,119 --> 00:21:01,640 Speaker 1: for this Paras exposition in eighty nine, Um, these are 376 00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:06,520 Speaker 1: like major, huge buildings that today we would spend untold 377 00:21:06,600 --> 00:21:10,640 Speaker 1: number count like countless money to to preserve and keep 378 00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:14,280 Speaker 1: from crumbling. Um, they just torn down twenty years. There's 379 00:21:14,320 --> 00:21:18,640 Speaker 1: one called the Gallery Day Machine UM, and it some 380 00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:23,560 Speaker 1: critics say that it was actually an even greater masterpiece 381 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:27,760 Speaker 1: of um iron work and modernity than the Eiffel Tower itself. 382 00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:32,400 Speaker 1: They tore it down into Yeah, so that's just kind 383 00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:34,080 Speaker 1: of how it was with the World Fare, and that's 384 00:21:34,119 --> 00:21:35,840 Speaker 1: how it was supposed to be with the Eiffel Tower. 385 00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:38,760 Speaker 1: But if you start to dive into how the Eiffel 386 00:21:38,760 --> 00:21:43,520 Speaker 1: Tower was constructed, it's abundantly clear that Um Gustav Eiffel 387 00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:46,639 Speaker 1: never intended for his tower to be taken down. He 388 00:21:46,760 --> 00:21:53,359 Speaker 1: built that thing Ford tough man. If you want to 389 00:21:53,359 --> 00:21:56,239 Speaker 1: make a French person's head spend, tell him that the 390 00:21:56,280 --> 00:22:00,760 Speaker 1: Eiffel Tower is built forward tough Oh my go I 391 00:22:00,760 --> 00:22:03,040 Speaker 1: was trying to think of a French car. Uh, what's 392 00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:09,560 Speaker 1: the one? Yeah, n all tough the tough. So they 393 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:13,920 Speaker 1: start construction in January seven. Um. Obviously that's a pretty 394 00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:16,600 Speaker 1: tight timetable to pull something like this off before the 395 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:20,400 Speaker 1: World's Fair, and it came down to the wire. But uh, 396 00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:25,640 Speaker 1: they started um building the tower itself in July seven. 397 00:22:26,280 --> 00:22:29,160 Speaker 1: They were building you know, that might not um make sense, 398 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:31,080 Speaker 1: but they were doing those foundations. It took a long 399 00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:34,119 Speaker 1: time just to get the foundation work done. And he 400 00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:39,000 Speaker 1: had a manufacturing um warehouse and facility about six kilometers away, 401 00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:41,760 Speaker 1: so most of it was built there in pieces. They 402 00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:44,399 Speaker 1: would bring it over and ship it over to the 403 00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:47,000 Speaker 1: site to kind of assemble it and put it together. 404 00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:50,400 Speaker 1: And you know, this thing is right by the river, 405 00:22:50,560 --> 00:22:53,520 Speaker 1: so you've got you know, you don't have the most 406 00:22:53,560 --> 00:22:58,520 Speaker 1: stable uh you know, land base in which to drill down. 407 00:22:59,119 --> 00:23:01,520 Speaker 1: And they ended up. Uh did we do a show 408 00:23:01,520 --> 00:23:04,680 Speaker 1: on tunnels or was it just it must have been 409 00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:06,679 Speaker 1: bridges or something, because I think we talked about the 410 00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:09,919 Speaker 1: Brooklyn Bridge being built like this. Yeah, may have been it, 411 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:12,119 Speaker 1: or maybe it was the New York aqueducts. I don't know, 412 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:14,440 Speaker 1: but basically they had to do sort of the same 413 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:16,919 Speaker 1: thing as they had to go under sea level, so 414 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:21,320 Speaker 1: they had to work in these compressed air chambers, which 415 00:23:21,359 --> 00:23:24,240 Speaker 1: was very, very dangerous, and they ended up only losing 416 00:23:24,280 --> 00:23:27,679 Speaker 1: one human life during the construction, which is remarkable. It 417 00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:30,360 Speaker 1: is remarkable. And this thing was also completed in record 418 00:23:30,440 --> 00:23:32,840 Speaker 1: time too, Like I mean you said it was a 419 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:37,119 Speaker 1: tight schedule. To build this thing in twenty one twenty 420 00:23:37,240 --> 00:23:41,280 Speaker 1: six months today would be impressive. So they did this 421 00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:45,000 Speaker 1: in you know, the eighteen eighties and only lost one worker. 422 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:48,959 Speaker 1: Part of that was because Gustave Eifel himself, um, was 423 00:23:49,280 --> 00:23:53,199 Speaker 1: well known for basically being an additional foreman on the 424 00:23:53,280 --> 00:23:55,119 Speaker 1: job side. He was not one of these guys who 425 00:23:55,119 --> 00:23:57,440 Speaker 1: went and smoked cigars and just hung out all day 426 00:23:57,520 --> 00:23:59,520 Speaker 1: at the country club with his buddies. Like he was 427 00:23:59,680 --> 00:24:04,160 Speaker 1: hand is on on his his most important projects, and um, 428 00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:07,080 Speaker 1: the Eiffel Tower was definitely one of those most important projects. 429 00:24:07,119 --> 00:24:10,840 Speaker 1: So because of this dedication to safety and this level 430 00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:14,439 Speaker 1: of oversight from the guy himself, uh that that just 431 00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:17,120 Speaker 1: one person like the person and you have to die there, 432 00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:19,119 Speaker 1: like no one will believe it if nobody died. So 433 00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:23,280 Speaker 1: they had they pushed one guy off the top. A Pierre, 434 00:24:23,359 --> 00:24:25,239 Speaker 1: what's that over there? I know, Well, you've been down 435 00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:31,679 Speaker 1: been down and pick it up for me. So the 436 00:24:31,720 --> 00:24:33,719 Speaker 1: other thing he had going in his favor was as 437 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:35,359 Speaker 1: far as getting it built in record time, was he 438 00:24:35,359 --> 00:24:37,560 Speaker 1: had a great crew. He had, Like I said, he 439 00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:39,800 Speaker 1: was a big builder anyway, so he had all these 440 00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:43,880 Speaker 1: regular workers that were really really experienced, especially iron workers, 441 00:24:44,520 --> 00:24:47,480 Speaker 1: and uh, he was able to pull it off using 442 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:53,359 Speaker 1: uh method of riveting, um bolts, pretty good rivets better, 443 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:57,159 Speaker 1: way better. I mean, this is the These rivets are 444 00:24:57,200 --> 00:24:59,040 Speaker 1: the reason why I say, like, he did not mean 445 00:24:59,119 --> 00:25:01,400 Speaker 1: for this thing to be take in Ampart in twenty years. 446 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:04,200 Speaker 1: So what they did was they use heated rivets. And 447 00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:07,920 Speaker 1: here's here's how that works. You bring over this sub 448 00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:11,879 Speaker 1: piece that's built together with temporary bolts, and then you 449 00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:15,479 Speaker 1: remove those bolts and you replace it with a heated rivet. 450 00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:19,880 Speaker 1: And this is on site, Like they had blacksmiths hammering 451 00:25:19,920 --> 00:25:23,359 Speaker 1: this thing on site. Apparently made quite a racket and 452 00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:25,080 Speaker 1: you would heat it in or you would heat it 453 00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:28,000 Speaker 1: up and knock it in, and then as the thing cools, 454 00:25:28,600 --> 00:25:31,680 Speaker 1: it shrinks and that just cinches everything really really tight. 455 00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:34,840 Speaker 1: That is trying to cinch together after it's cooled. And 456 00:25:34,920 --> 00:25:37,640 Speaker 1: so you've got you know, two thirds of this thing. 457 00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:41,000 Speaker 1: Two thirds of the rib these ribbits were actually installed 458 00:25:41,080 --> 00:25:45,480 Speaker 1: on site with human power and hammers. Yeah, and each 459 00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:48,479 Speaker 1: side of the rivet was hammered into a head, so 460 00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:50,680 Speaker 1: it's not like a bolt where you could just take off. 461 00:25:50,720 --> 00:25:53,320 Speaker 1: I don't know how you would get those things apart, frankly. 462 00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:57,240 Speaker 1: And that this this seal like so was I guess 463 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:00,000 Speaker 1: then the seal was was so tight because it cool 464 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:03,160 Speaker 1: old and since some tighter together and then the actual 465 00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:05,480 Speaker 1: um One of the reasons why the Eiffel Tower is 466 00:26:05,520 --> 00:26:09,840 Speaker 1: just so revered. It's just incredibly precise. Like each piece, 467 00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:12,439 Speaker 1: like you said, was made off site and then maybe 468 00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:15,760 Speaker 1: partially assembled and brought to the to the job site, 469 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:18,840 Speaker 1: but they were they were created in the eighteen eighties 470 00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:22,800 Speaker 1: within a tenth of a millimeter precise. And if they 471 00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:25,640 Speaker 1: weren't a tenth of a millimeter precise, Uh, they were 472 00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:28,600 Speaker 1: sent back to the factory to be um altered so 473 00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:31,439 Speaker 1: that they were brought into that level of precision. So 474 00:26:31,480 --> 00:26:34,919 Speaker 1: the entire Eiffel Tower is within a tenth of a 475 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:40,840 Speaker 1: millimeter precision, the entire thing. That's just astounding to me. Yeah, 476 00:26:40,880 --> 00:26:43,000 Speaker 1: and it's really cool too, and that they you know, 477 00:26:43,119 --> 00:26:45,119 Speaker 1: you obviously you're building this thing from the ground up. 478 00:26:45,840 --> 00:26:50,520 Speaker 1: And they used scaffolding until they made that first floor plateau, 479 00:26:50,680 --> 00:26:54,280 Speaker 1: and then from that point on that was their new foundation, 480 00:26:54,359 --> 00:26:56,960 Speaker 1: so they could actually be up there in the tower 481 00:26:57,000 --> 00:27:00,600 Speaker 1: itself supported itself from that point forward as they moved 482 00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:05,280 Speaker 1: up right, and um, this is just so scary to me. 483 00:27:05,359 --> 00:27:08,199 Speaker 1: But the the as they worked further and further up, 484 00:27:08,720 --> 00:27:12,359 Speaker 1: they got steam cranes that they attached to what would 485 00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:15,480 Speaker 1: um eventually be the rails used by the lifts, the 486 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:20,359 Speaker 1: very specific elevators of the U Eiffel Tower. And uh, 487 00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:23,239 Speaker 1: these steam cranes just climbed up and up and up. 488 00:27:23,240 --> 00:27:27,080 Speaker 1: It just worked their way up the tower. And just again, 489 00:27:27,320 --> 00:27:30,800 Speaker 1: this is eighteen eight the eighteen eighties, and you're in 490 00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:33,640 Speaker 1: a steam crane attached to the Eiffel Tower that you're 491 00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:38,480 Speaker 1: building hundreds of meters up. I can barely even say 492 00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:41,960 Speaker 1: these words. You would have been the second guy that died. Yeah, 493 00:27:42,040 --> 00:27:46,080 Speaker 1: because your knees gave out, exactly. I just I can't 494 00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:51,080 Speaker 1: even deal right now. So they they eventually finish. Um, 495 00:27:51,119 --> 00:27:54,800 Speaker 1: as the World's Fair approaches. Um, it didn't even open. 496 00:27:54,840 --> 00:27:56,400 Speaker 1: This is how tight it was. It wasn't even open 497 00:27:56,480 --> 00:27:59,280 Speaker 1: to the public until nine days into the fair, and 498 00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:02,480 Speaker 1: it took two more weeks for those elevators to be operational. 499 00:28:02,600 --> 00:28:05,920 Speaker 1: So if you were those first people, you paid a 500 00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:09,200 Speaker 1: little bit of money to climb seventeen hundred and ten 501 00:28:09,320 --> 00:28:12,320 Speaker 1: steps to the top, like you mentioned earlier, takes about 502 00:28:12,320 --> 00:28:16,320 Speaker 1: an hour, and a lot of people still did that remarkably, 503 00:28:16,359 --> 00:28:18,359 Speaker 1: and they all smoked cigarettes at the time, So I 504 00:28:18,359 --> 00:28:22,240 Speaker 1: can't imagine that was fun, that's right. So, UM. One 505 00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:25,840 Speaker 1: of the things about the Eiffel Tower, uh, that I 506 00:28:26,800 --> 00:28:30,200 Speaker 1: didn't know about, was that there was a tremendous amount 507 00:28:30,200 --> 00:28:33,720 Speaker 1: of protest when it was announced, when when the design 508 00:28:33,840 --> 00:28:37,800 Speaker 1: was unveiled or the plans for it were unveiled, um, 509 00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:41,280 Speaker 1: mostly by the French artistic community. There was a famous 510 00:28:41,320 --> 00:28:45,680 Speaker 1: petition again which I didn't know about, UM, called the 511 00:28:45,080 --> 00:28:48,760 Speaker 1: the the Petition of the three hundred, three hundred artists, 512 00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:52,800 Speaker 1: three hundred architects, UM, three hundred musicians. Basically anybody who 513 00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:56,640 Speaker 1: is anyone in the Parisian art and cultural scene at 514 00:28:56,680 --> 00:28:59,680 Speaker 1: the time signed this petition basically saying like, don't build 515 00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:02,120 Speaker 1: this thing. This is horrible, this is it's going to 516 00:29:02,200 --> 00:29:05,520 Speaker 1: look like an industrial iron smoke stack. And and we 517 00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:09,520 Speaker 1: don't want this to to mar the beautiful landscape of 518 00:29:09,600 --> 00:29:13,040 Speaker 1: Paris that has been put together over the centuries. And um, 519 00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:16,560 Speaker 1: I mean that was it was a substantial public outcry 520 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:19,560 Speaker 1: and like kind of a campaign against the Eiffel Tower 521 00:29:20,080 --> 00:29:24,240 Speaker 1: that Eiffel and the Parisian Exposition um planners had to 522 00:29:24,320 --> 00:29:29,680 Speaker 1: deal with. But they, I guess ultimately the artists were there. 523 00:29:30,200 --> 00:29:33,800 Speaker 1: Their protests fell on deaf ears because the tower was made. 524 00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:37,440 Speaker 1: But one of the great things about it was Uh. 525 00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:41,160 Speaker 1: In the years after, some of those petition signers came 526 00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:43,680 Speaker 1: out and publicly apologized to Eiffel. They said that they 527 00:29:43,680 --> 00:29:46,560 Speaker 1: had they'd gotten it wrong, that that the Eiffel Tower 528 00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:49,320 Speaker 1: is just that, you know, that beautiful. They finally kind 529 00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:52,760 Speaker 1: of came around to understanding what was beautiful about it? 530 00:29:53,200 --> 00:30:00,160 Speaker 1: Did guide Rick can't No, he was one who ever 531 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:03,560 Speaker 1: did uh de mapossan he uh. He was a very 532 00:30:03,560 --> 00:30:06,600 Speaker 1: famous writer who would lunch at the base of the 533 00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:09,440 Speaker 1: Eiffel Tower very frequently because it was the only place 534 00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:11,280 Speaker 1: in Paris he could go eat where he didn't have 535 00:30:11,320 --> 00:30:13,560 Speaker 1: to look at the Eiffel Tower. Yeah, so he wrote 536 00:30:15,720 --> 00:30:18,600 Speaker 1: and this this became one of the sort sort of 537 00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:23,280 Speaker 1: the most famous, uh, put down or the Eiffel Tower. 538 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:27,160 Speaker 1: He said, this high and skinny pyramid of iron letters, 539 00:30:27,600 --> 00:30:31,400 Speaker 1: this giant, ungainly skeleton upon a base that looks built 540 00:30:31,440 --> 00:30:34,920 Speaker 1: to carry a colossal monument of cyclops, but which just 541 00:30:35,120 --> 00:30:40,760 Speaker 1: peters out into a ridiculous thin shape like a factory chimney. Ps. 542 00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:45,600 Speaker 1: I fart in its general direction. Nice, I didn't see 543 00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:49,040 Speaker 1: that coming, and he he was. You might not recognize 544 00:30:49,040 --> 00:30:51,360 Speaker 1: his name, but I'll bet you'd recognize his pen name, 545 00:30:51,680 --> 00:30:57,720 Speaker 1: Jackie Collins. Oh interesting, I just know that that's because 546 00:30:57,720 --> 00:31:01,080 Speaker 1: I made it up. So Eiffel himself, the man, I'm sure. 547 00:31:01,560 --> 00:31:03,160 Speaker 1: I'm sure his feelings were a little bit hurt by 548 00:31:03,160 --> 00:31:06,480 Speaker 1: some of these artists. He wanted to be beloved. But um, 549 00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:09,800 Speaker 1: he wasn't made of puddle eye. He was not, uh, 550 00:31:09,880 --> 00:31:13,560 Speaker 1: he said, uh announced just sort of paraphrase here. Um 551 00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:15,320 Speaker 1: he said. For my part, I believe that the tower 552 00:31:15,360 --> 00:31:18,400 Speaker 1: will possess its own beauty. I hold that the curvature 553 00:31:18,440 --> 00:31:21,920 Speaker 1: of the monuments four outer edges, which is as mathematical 554 00:31:21,960 --> 00:31:25,360 Speaker 1: calculation dictated it should be, will give a great impression 555 00:31:25,360 --> 00:31:27,280 Speaker 1: of strength and beauty, For it will reveal to the 556 00:31:27,280 --> 00:31:30,280 Speaker 1: eyes of the observer, the boldness of the design as 557 00:31:30,320 --> 00:31:33,440 Speaker 1: a whole. Moreover, there is an attraction in the colossal 558 00:31:33,840 --> 00:31:36,880 Speaker 1: and a singular delight to which ordinary theories of art 559 00:31:36,880 --> 00:31:40,080 Speaker 1: are scarcely applicable. And I think that kind of sums 560 00:31:40,080 --> 00:31:45,640 Speaker 1: it up. It's like, man, this is a massive, amazing, 561 00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:49,080 Speaker 1: gorgeous feat of engineering, and like you can't think of 562 00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:53,200 Speaker 1: it with your little sculpture brain and try and look 563 00:31:53,200 --> 00:31:55,320 Speaker 1: at it as as that kind of art. Like you 564 00:31:55,360 --> 00:31:59,360 Speaker 1: got to rethink what art and architecture are. And I 565 00:31:59,400 --> 00:32:01,760 Speaker 1: think he's told right. I mean, it's it's amazing when 566 00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:04,400 Speaker 1: you look at this thing and you can sort of 567 00:32:04,400 --> 00:32:07,760 Speaker 1: see maybe back then how it didn't fit the landscape 568 00:32:07,800 --> 00:32:10,720 Speaker 1: and people might have thought it was obnoxious, but uh 569 00:32:10,760 --> 00:32:15,520 Speaker 1: they were wrong. Yeah, it's I saw a UM, I 570 00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:20,160 Speaker 1: guess an architecture blog on the Eiffel Tower and it 571 00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:22,880 Speaker 1: had it broken down by like loads and stresses and 572 00:32:22,920 --> 00:32:25,120 Speaker 1: geometry and all that. But on one of the pages 573 00:32:25,840 --> 00:32:29,400 Speaker 1: it was um it was showing a graph of how 574 00:32:29,520 --> 00:32:35,840 Speaker 1: wind pressure increases with height, right, And when they traced 575 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:39,480 Speaker 1: the curve of the different wind pressures as it went up, 576 00:32:40,200 --> 00:32:44,600 Speaker 1: it made one. It made the curve of the Eiffel Tower. 577 00:32:45,560 --> 00:32:48,840 Speaker 1: And he said later that the Eiffel Tower was designed 578 00:32:48,880 --> 00:32:51,440 Speaker 1: by the wind, and that's what he was talking about, 579 00:32:51,480 --> 00:32:55,760 Speaker 1: Like they used math to determine what the perfect shape 580 00:32:55,760 --> 00:32:58,400 Speaker 1: of this was to put up this to to have 581 00:32:58,520 --> 00:33:01,560 Speaker 1: the same wind pressure. So the base is under the 582 00:33:01,600 --> 00:33:05,480 Speaker 1: same load from wind that the top is because of 583 00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:09,080 Speaker 1: the taper. So it was like it's math personified. It's 584 00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:14,080 Speaker 1: math and and science and engineering um in in iron form. 585 00:33:14,480 --> 00:33:17,680 Speaker 1: I had no idea about that until I started researching this, 586 00:33:17,720 --> 00:33:21,160 Speaker 1: and it just made me appreciate this so much more. Um. 587 00:33:21,360 --> 00:33:24,480 Speaker 1: And it's also really really strong too, Like the thing 588 00:33:24,520 --> 00:33:28,000 Speaker 1: can hold four and a half times Uh, it's its 589 00:33:28,040 --> 00:33:30,800 Speaker 1: own weight. It's like it's never going to fall down. 590 00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:32,920 Speaker 1: And a lot of people were worried about that when 591 00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:35,720 Speaker 1: when Iffel was building it, and he publicly said, I 592 00:33:35,840 --> 00:33:39,160 Speaker 1: take personal responsibility if this thing ever collapses. Uh, he 593 00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:41,840 Speaker 1: just knew it wasn't going to because that's how precise 594 00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:43,680 Speaker 1: he was, and that's how smart he was with his 595 00:33:43,760 --> 00:33:46,880 Speaker 1: calculations and the people he was working with. Two. But 596 00:33:46,880 --> 00:33:50,320 Speaker 1: but it's it's just it's a it's masterful. It is 597 00:33:50,520 --> 00:33:53,880 Speaker 1: it's it's nature revealed, just carved out of the sky 598 00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:57,280 Speaker 1: and iron. All right, well, let's take another break and 599 00:33:57,320 --> 00:33:59,440 Speaker 1: we'll come back and talk about why that thing it's 600 00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:02,400 Speaker 1: still stand today and wasn't torn down twenty years later 601 00:34:02,480 --> 00:34:39,359 Speaker 1: right after this. Alright, so Eiffel built this thing to last, 602 00:34:39,440 --> 00:34:43,120 Speaker 1: like we said, and uh, during that twenty year period, 603 00:34:43,640 --> 00:34:47,320 Speaker 1: as he was breaking in money from glow noodle sales, 604 00:34:48,520 --> 00:34:52,360 Speaker 1: he uh he decided to start trying to make it useful, 605 00:34:52,840 --> 00:34:56,640 Speaker 1: uh and give it a practical purpose so maybe they'll say, well, 606 00:34:56,680 --> 00:34:58,880 Speaker 1: we kind of got to leave it up now. So 607 00:34:58,960 --> 00:35:02,799 Speaker 1: he started doing all these in resistance experiments and those 608 00:35:02,800 --> 00:35:04,640 Speaker 1: were fine, those were all well and good, but it 609 00:35:04,760 --> 00:35:08,320 Speaker 1: was uh, it was radio that really is what saved 610 00:35:08,360 --> 00:35:13,000 Speaker 1: it when in a Morse code signal was sent from 611 00:35:13,080 --> 00:35:16,239 Speaker 1: the tower to another part of Paris and it was 612 00:35:16,280 --> 00:35:18,880 Speaker 1: a big success. So they put in a permanent radio 613 00:35:19,760 --> 00:35:23,360 Speaker 1: installation there, and all of a sudden they were like, hey, 614 00:35:23,400 --> 00:35:27,640 Speaker 1: this thing is really valuable, especially with wars approaching, which 615 00:35:27,680 --> 00:35:29,920 Speaker 1: they obviously didn't know that at the time, but they 616 00:35:29,920 --> 00:35:33,280 Speaker 1: were sending messages, you know, overseas to London and thousands 617 00:35:33,320 --> 00:35:37,239 Speaker 1: of kilometers away, and they said in nineteen ten, all right, 618 00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:42,040 Speaker 1: this is actually pretty valuable to us now the military 619 00:35:42,120 --> 00:35:47,200 Speaker 1: is involved, it's playing roles in our wars, so you 620 00:35:47,239 --> 00:35:50,440 Speaker 1: can keep it up for seventy more years. And they 621 00:35:50,480 --> 00:35:53,840 Speaker 1: then tore it down in Yeah, and that was the 622 00:35:53,960 --> 00:35:59,360 Speaker 1: end of the Eiffel Towel. Never forget that day. That was. Yeah. 623 00:35:59,719 --> 00:36:03,520 Speaker 1: Do you remember how excited Reagan was, like you have 624 00:36:03,600 --> 00:36:06,720 Speaker 1: against the Eiffel Tower man and Jimmy Carter descried quietly. 625 00:36:06,760 --> 00:36:08,880 Speaker 1: It was very sad. Yeah, I thought that was the 626 00:36:08,960 --> 00:36:11,680 Speaker 1: right reaction to that, you know, but that's the big split. 627 00:36:11,760 --> 00:36:14,120 Speaker 1: You know, there's two kinds of people in the world. Now. 628 00:36:14,120 --> 00:36:17,480 Speaker 1: They gave him seventy more years, and obviously in I 629 00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:19,319 Speaker 1: didn't even look it up, but I assume that's when 630 00:36:19,320 --> 00:36:21,480 Speaker 1: they said, and maybe we should just all agree that 631 00:36:21,480 --> 00:36:24,719 Speaker 1: it's it'll probably be here forever. Yeah. Yeah, So it 632 00:36:24,800 --> 00:36:28,520 Speaker 1: survived even Adolf Hitler, the big jerk. He apparently, after 633 00:36:28,600 --> 00:36:32,840 Speaker 1: the Nazis had occupied um Paris for years, as the 634 00:36:32,880 --> 00:36:36,719 Speaker 1: war was seemingly coming to an end, he ordered not 635 00:36:36,840 --> 00:36:39,320 Speaker 1: just the Eiffel Tower, but all monuments in Paris to 636 00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:42,800 Speaker 1: be torn down. And the guy who was running the 637 00:36:42,840 --> 00:36:46,000 Speaker 1: France on behalf of the Nazis, a general Dietrich von 638 00:36:46,200 --> 00:36:49,520 Speaker 1: Scholitz just never got around to it. I guess he 639 00:36:49,600 --> 00:36:52,480 Speaker 1: was kind of resisting. But one of the speaking of resisting, 640 00:36:52,480 --> 00:36:55,640 Speaker 1: one of the um little pieces of World War two 641 00:36:55,760 --> 00:36:59,040 Speaker 1: history was that the French resistance cut the cables for 642 00:36:59,120 --> 00:37:01,960 Speaker 1: the elevators to the Eiffel Tower, so that if any 643 00:37:02,239 --> 00:37:05,160 Speaker 1: Nazi sightseers on his day off wanted to go up 644 00:37:05,160 --> 00:37:08,440 Speaker 1: and see the sights, he had declined the sev ten stairs. 645 00:37:08,440 --> 00:37:10,560 Speaker 1: He wasn't going to take an elevator as long as 646 00:37:10,560 --> 00:37:13,920 Speaker 1: the French resistance was around. That's right. And then the 647 00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:18,480 Speaker 1: Nazis were liberated from Paris. Unless you talked to Senator 648 00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:22,640 Speaker 1: elect Tommy Tubberville. Did you hear that? Yeah, I heard 649 00:37:22,640 --> 00:37:26,560 Speaker 1: all that. Former Auburn football coach now Senator elect uh 650 00:37:26,840 --> 00:37:29,319 Speaker 1: said has said a few times now that Paris was 651 00:37:29,360 --> 00:37:32,880 Speaker 1: liberated from the Communist and the Socialist Like, no, they 652 00:37:32,920 --> 00:37:37,319 Speaker 1: were Nazis. Yeah, there's one other piece of World War 653 00:37:37,320 --> 00:37:39,760 Speaker 1: two trivia I had not heard about, what the Eiffel Tower. 654 00:37:39,880 --> 00:37:43,480 Speaker 1: There was a dog fight that went under under the 655 00:37:43,520 --> 00:37:46,400 Speaker 1: Eiffel Tower. People. That's the thing that planes want to 656 00:37:46,400 --> 00:37:49,040 Speaker 1: try and do now as a sort of a Dare 657 00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:52,520 Speaker 1: slash stunt. You should not do that. No, no, no, 658 00:37:53,440 --> 00:37:56,600 Speaker 1: you really you just really I think it's worth saying again, Chuck, 659 00:37:56,840 --> 00:37:58,920 Speaker 1: you don't fly a plane under the Eiffel Tower. I 660 00:37:58,920 --> 00:38:00,760 Speaker 1: don't care who you are. Don't fly a plan period. 661 00:38:01,320 --> 00:38:04,000 Speaker 1: If you're if you're a German. Uh, if you're a 662 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:08,840 Speaker 1: German fighter ace and you've got an American P fifty 663 00:38:08,840 --> 00:38:12,080 Speaker 1: one Mustang on your tail, you're gonna take some risks. Apparently, 664 00:38:12,160 --> 00:38:16,160 Speaker 1: the the dirty Nazi flying ace, I thought he was 665 00:38:16,160 --> 00:38:19,040 Speaker 1: gonna shake him by going under the Eiffel Tower, and 666 00:38:19,080 --> 00:38:21,680 Speaker 1: that P fifty one Mustang pilot went right after him 667 00:38:21,680 --> 00:38:25,120 Speaker 1: and shot him down over Paris. Amazing, and't it? I 668 00:38:25,160 --> 00:38:28,279 Speaker 1: mean that they had a dog fight under under the 669 00:38:28,280 --> 00:38:33,040 Speaker 1: Eiffel Tower. That's astounding. Uh. Because this thing is made 670 00:38:33,040 --> 00:38:35,880 Speaker 1: of iron, there's a very one, big, big key to 671 00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:40,799 Speaker 1: keeping this thing durable, and that is paint. Um. It 672 00:38:40,960 --> 00:38:44,520 Speaker 1: is strong, iron is very strong. It's also malleable. Um. 673 00:38:44,640 --> 00:38:46,719 Speaker 1: I think we've already mentioned that it does flex in 674 00:38:46,760 --> 00:38:50,319 Speaker 1: the wind some. It shrinks with temperature changes and gets 675 00:38:50,360 --> 00:38:53,479 Speaker 1: larger with temperature changes. And that's all well and good, 676 00:38:53,520 --> 00:38:56,879 Speaker 1: but you gotta have a really good paint job on there. 677 00:38:57,120 --> 00:39:00,440 Speaker 1: And I think it's been painted eighteen times times over 678 00:39:00,440 --> 00:39:03,040 Speaker 1: the years, and they're on a seven year cycle now, 679 00:39:03,719 --> 00:39:07,799 Speaker 1: which they started in eighteen nine nine. UM, And it 680 00:39:07,800 --> 00:39:11,120 Speaker 1: takes about eighteen months to remove what paint they remove. 681 00:39:12,160 --> 00:39:15,760 Speaker 1: And it's been various colors over the years. Um, Eiffel 682 00:39:15,760 --> 00:39:18,120 Speaker 1: Tower brown is what we call it now. But Ed, 683 00:39:18,600 --> 00:39:21,280 Speaker 1: who helped us put this together with with zero irony, 684 00:39:21,320 --> 00:39:24,320 Speaker 1: I think, said it is often depicted as simply red. 685 00:39:26,120 --> 00:39:28,160 Speaker 1: I didn't pick up on that. I think it probably 686 00:39:28,200 --> 00:39:30,479 Speaker 1: doesn't even know that's a band. I think it's tastes 687 00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:32,719 Speaker 1: are a little harder than that, right, I don't know. 688 00:39:32,800 --> 00:39:35,040 Speaker 1: I think he's got a bunch of varied tastes. Like 689 00:39:35,120 --> 00:39:37,840 Speaker 1: I could see him knowing about simply ready. Just I 690 00:39:37,840 --> 00:39:40,000 Speaker 1: don't know. Maybe he did mean that. It's also been 691 00:39:40,080 --> 00:39:44,160 Speaker 1: yellow orange, sort of a yellowish brown. Uh. And like 692 00:39:44,200 --> 00:39:46,200 Speaker 1: I said, now they call it since nineteen sixty eight 693 00:39:46,200 --> 00:39:49,319 Speaker 1: Eiffel Tower brown. But it's lit up at night. It's 694 00:39:49,719 --> 00:39:55,879 Speaker 1: marvelous to behold. Um, twenty thousand lightbulbs on this thing. No, No, no, 695 00:39:56,160 --> 00:39:58,520 Speaker 1: five billion light bulbs. I don't think that's right, dude. 696 00:39:58,960 --> 00:40:01,279 Speaker 1: I looked everywhere the only place I can find that 697 00:40:01,360 --> 00:40:05,720 Speaker 1: was in Business Insider. I've seen it a bunch of places, 698 00:40:05,760 --> 00:40:08,439 Speaker 1: but I guess it it got Yeah, I could see that. Man, 699 00:40:09,120 --> 00:40:11,440 Speaker 1: you're probably right. I mean on the Eiffel Tower website 700 00:40:11,440 --> 00:40:13,359 Speaker 1: it's just twenty lights. So I'm gonna go with that, 701 00:40:13,880 --> 00:40:16,399 Speaker 1: all right, I'll go with that one too, stupid five 702 00:40:17,080 --> 00:40:21,719 Speaker 1: that's a big disparity. But it's all lit up, like 703 00:40:21,760 --> 00:40:23,359 Speaker 1: they have the lights, and then they also have these 704 00:40:23,400 --> 00:40:29,600 Speaker 1: projectors projecting light and um, five billion projectors. It's brilliant 705 00:40:29,600 --> 00:40:31,920 Speaker 1: to look at at night, and uh, I suggest you 706 00:40:31,960 --> 00:40:33,759 Speaker 1: go at night. It's it's great during the day of 707 00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:36,120 Speaker 1: course as well, but at night is when it's really 708 00:40:36,120 --> 00:40:41,560 Speaker 1: really special. Right. Um. I've looked up their electric bill 709 00:40:41,600 --> 00:40:45,520 Speaker 1: and it's apparently about one point one million dollars a year, 710 00:40:45,600 --> 00:40:47,920 Speaker 1: which is too bad. I guess it's more in line 711 00:40:47,960 --> 00:40:50,359 Speaker 1: for twenty thousand lights. I was like, that's pretty low 712 00:40:50,440 --> 00:40:57,200 Speaker 1: for five billion lights. It's like al Gore's electric bill. Wow. Hey, 713 00:40:57,239 --> 00:41:00,479 Speaker 1: I try to take shots at both sides, right you can, man, Yeah, 714 00:41:00,520 --> 00:41:04,960 Speaker 1: for sure, you're a centrist. So, um, that repainting stuff 715 00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:08,160 Speaker 1: it takes eighteen months, did you say that? And they 716 00:41:08,239 --> 00:41:11,520 Speaker 1: take fifteen tons of the old paint off every time 717 00:41:11,960 --> 00:41:14,279 Speaker 1: when it's a when the whole job is done, I 718 00:41:14,280 --> 00:41:17,160 Speaker 1: think it's like sixty tons of new paint. Right, Yes, 719 00:41:17,480 --> 00:41:20,040 Speaker 1: that is so much pain, it's crazy. But um, the 720 00:41:20,120 --> 00:41:24,600 Speaker 1: last time we were there, like three to three years ago, Um, 721 00:41:24,760 --> 00:41:28,400 Speaker 1: I remember being shocked that it was brown. I had 722 00:41:28,400 --> 00:41:31,239 Speaker 1: totally forgotten it. And anytime you see it, it's it's 723 00:41:31,320 --> 00:41:34,920 Speaker 1: shadowed enough that it looks black or maybe like a 724 00:41:35,000 --> 00:41:36,920 Speaker 1: dark gray or something. It does not look like it 725 00:41:36,960 --> 00:41:40,799 Speaker 1: does in person and pictures. Right, But they apparently there's 726 00:41:40,840 --> 00:41:43,919 Speaker 1: an optical illusion where the higher up in the sky 727 00:41:44,480 --> 00:41:49,239 Speaker 1: the Eiffel Tower is um, that part seems darker than 728 00:41:49,280 --> 00:41:52,160 Speaker 1: the stuff closer to the ground. So they actually do 729 00:41:52,280 --> 00:41:55,160 Speaker 1: kind of an ombre thing where they painted in this 730 00:41:55,360 --> 00:41:58,920 Speaker 1: the same color, but yeah, grated shade to where the 731 00:41:59,040 --> 00:42:01,480 Speaker 1: stuff at the top is the lightest shade and then 732 00:42:01,520 --> 00:42:03,880 Speaker 1: towards the bottom it's the darkest shade, so that the 733 00:42:03,880 --> 00:42:07,840 Speaker 1: whole thing has a uniform color to it. Emily and 734 00:42:07,840 --> 00:42:10,799 Speaker 1: I always have a running joke from that we got 735 00:42:10,800 --> 00:42:14,239 Speaker 1: from Saturday Night Live. There was one sketch where one 736 00:42:14,280 --> 00:42:17,240 Speaker 1: girl to the other and said, that is one severe ambre. 737 00:42:19,000 --> 00:42:21,320 Speaker 1: So we say that now whenever we see you a 738 00:42:21,400 --> 00:42:24,520 Speaker 1: lady with an ombre hairstyle, Man, when's the last time 739 00:42:24,560 --> 00:42:26,640 Speaker 1: you saw somebody with an ombre? I don't know. Is 740 00:42:26,680 --> 00:42:28,439 Speaker 1: that not a thing anymore? I don't I don't see people, 741 00:42:28,480 --> 00:42:30,960 Speaker 1: think so I don't see I haven't seen people either. 742 00:42:31,000 --> 00:42:33,320 Speaker 1: I guess I'm just assuming it died out because nobody's 743 00:42:33,360 --> 00:42:37,319 Speaker 1: going to the hairdresser anymore. Uh. We should maybe do 744 00:42:37,360 --> 00:42:41,200 Speaker 1: a short stuff on the elevators themselves. It is probably 745 00:42:41,239 --> 00:42:44,520 Speaker 1: a show into itself, but um, I guess the easiest 746 00:42:44,520 --> 00:42:47,000 Speaker 1: way to say it is that these are not like 747 00:42:47,040 --> 00:42:50,080 Speaker 1: any elevators in the world, obviously because they go up 748 00:42:51,000 --> 00:42:54,120 Speaker 1: on a on a slope and then straightened out. So 749 00:42:54,200 --> 00:42:59,000 Speaker 1: they're built, obviously, um, just for the Eiffel Tower, and 750 00:42:59,080 --> 00:43:01,719 Speaker 1: they would work only there, and they work on a 751 00:43:01,800 --> 00:43:05,880 Speaker 1: hydraulic system. And here's my fun fact that has greased 752 00:43:05,920 --> 00:43:12,239 Speaker 1: every day with beef fat no from the Jewels Verne restaurant. No, 753 00:43:13,520 --> 00:43:16,320 Speaker 1: I had not heard that. That's a great fact, man. Yeah, 754 00:43:16,360 --> 00:43:19,480 Speaker 1: And apparently a lot of the machinery is um some 755 00:43:19,520 --> 00:43:22,040 Speaker 1: of the original stuff from eighteen ninety nine that they 756 00:43:22,080 --> 00:43:26,200 Speaker 1: have just sort of modernized and retrofitted over the years. Yeah, 757 00:43:26,239 --> 00:43:28,960 Speaker 1: I've got one more elevator fact for you. So for 758 00:43:29,120 --> 00:43:33,680 Speaker 1: the original opening, Otis Elevator was invited to build one 759 00:43:33,719 --> 00:43:40,000 Speaker 1: of the elevators. Yeah. I think they actually build three 760 00:43:40,040 --> 00:43:41,960 Speaker 1: of the ones that are there now. But this is 761 00:43:42,000 --> 00:43:45,520 Speaker 1: for the ex exposition and to show off, to show 762 00:43:45,560 --> 00:43:48,920 Speaker 1: how how great their elevator was, Otis sent some representatives 763 00:43:49,000 --> 00:43:51,719 Speaker 1: up to switch out the cable with rope. And then 764 00:43:51,719 --> 00:43:55,240 Speaker 1: once they had the cable that was holding the elevator 765 00:43:55,280 --> 00:43:59,200 Speaker 1: aloft changed out to rope. They cut it with hatchets 766 00:43:59,600 --> 00:44:04,680 Speaker 1: to show off how the emergency brake system worked. Yeah, 767 00:44:04,760 --> 00:44:08,480 Speaker 1: holy cal Yeah, and they all cross their fingers behind 768 00:44:08,520 --> 00:44:11,520 Speaker 1: their backs. Yeah, exactly exactly. But if you look at 769 00:44:11,560 --> 00:44:14,440 Speaker 1: some of the original um, the original drawings, they were 770 00:44:14,480 --> 00:44:17,920 Speaker 1: like sit down elevators with like pews basically like you 771 00:44:17,920 --> 00:44:20,320 Speaker 1: find in a church, like a few a few rows 772 00:44:20,360 --> 00:44:23,160 Speaker 1: of pews, where people just sit down on these things 773 00:44:23,160 --> 00:44:25,879 Speaker 1: and go up, up, up. You know, now that I'm 774 00:44:25,880 --> 00:44:29,600 Speaker 1: looking at this list from Business Insider, it also says 775 00:44:29,640 --> 00:44:33,959 Speaker 1: it costs one point five million to build and in 776 00:44:33,960 --> 00:44:38,279 Speaker 1: in dollars. I saw that elsewhere too. M hmm. That 777 00:44:38,320 --> 00:44:40,560 Speaker 1: sounds like confusion to me, because they gave them one 778 00:44:40,560 --> 00:44:43,759 Speaker 1: point five million francs and it really costs six point 779 00:44:43,760 --> 00:44:46,680 Speaker 1: five I don't trust anything on this list. Now, five 780 00:44:46,719 --> 00:44:50,440 Speaker 1: billion lines? Is that on the list that I sent you? 781 00:44:51,600 --> 00:44:54,200 Speaker 1: That was from Live Science, not Business Insiders? Well, the 782 00:44:54,239 --> 00:44:58,040 Speaker 1: same exact list was on Business and Business Insider. Yeah, 783 00:44:58,080 --> 00:45:01,680 Speaker 1: that's what we should call them. So somebody science is 784 00:45:01,760 --> 00:45:05,000 Speaker 1: usually pretty Uh I'm guessing Business Insider copy pasted from 785 00:45:05,040 --> 00:45:08,120 Speaker 1: Live Science. Live Science is usually pretty accurate. That's why 786 00:45:08,160 --> 00:45:10,080 Speaker 1: I fell for the five billion. I was like, why 787 00:45:10,080 --> 00:45:12,719 Speaker 1: would I fall for that from Business Insider? Now I 788 00:45:12,800 --> 00:45:14,960 Speaker 1: understand I fell for it from Live Science. All right, 789 00:45:15,000 --> 00:45:18,279 Speaker 1: well that's more acceptable. What else you got anything? I 790 00:45:18,320 --> 00:45:21,560 Speaker 1: got nothing else? Go see this thing. It's worth it. Yeah, definitely, 791 00:45:21,600 --> 00:45:23,960 Speaker 1: It's worth worth traveling to Paris to see and then 792 00:45:24,000 --> 00:45:28,440 Speaker 1: just turn around and leave. Uh well, chuck, this is 793 00:45:28,520 --> 00:45:31,319 Speaker 1: coming out I think on New Year's Eve, isn't it? 794 00:45:32,160 --> 00:45:35,319 Speaker 1: I think? So? Yeah? Right? Should we should we wish 795 00:45:35,360 --> 00:45:38,799 Speaker 1: everybody happy New Year's now or after listener mail? Uh? No, 796 00:45:38,960 --> 00:45:41,520 Speaker 1: let's do it now. You know we say it every 797 00:45:41,560 --> 00:45:45,120 Speaker 1: year that without you guys, we wouldn't even have jobs. 798 00:45:45,480 --> 00:45:48,879 Speaker 1: So it doesn't change over the years. It just gets 799 00:45:48,880 --> 00:45:52,160 Speaker 1: better and better, and we really really value everyone that's 800 00:45:52,600 --> 00:45:55,600 Speaker 1: listening to this right now in a big, big way. Yeah, 801 00:45:55,640 --> 00:45:58,000 Speaker 1: thanks for listening to us, everybody. We hope that we've 802 00:45:58,120 --> 00:46:00,919 Speaker 1: kind of helped you in some small measures through because 803 00:46:00,920 --> 00:46:04,560 Speaker 1: you guys have helped us through. Appreciate you, guys, So 804 00:46:04,680 --> 00:46:08,680 Speaker 1: thank you. Okay, Well, since I said thank you to 805 00:46:08,760 --> 00:46:11,400 Speaker 1: all of you listening out there in podcast land, that 806 00:46:11,440 --> 00:46:15,840 Speaker 1: means it's time for listener mail. I'm gonna call this 807 00:46:15,920 --> 00:46:20,520 Speaker 1: pet Turkey. This from Steph Steph t Hey guys, Turkey 808 00:46:20,560 --> 00:46:22,880 Speaker 1: podcast is my new favorite. We used to have a 809 00:46:22,880 --> 00:46:25,040 Speaker 1: pair of white domestic turkeys that we kept as pets. 810 00:46:25,040 --> 00:46:27,359 Speaker 1: They slept in my flower bed every night and look 811 00:46:27,440 --> 00:46:31,960 Speaker 1: like your yard ornaments. Um. I can attest to their superhering, 812 00:46:32,080 --> 00:46:35,080 Speaker 1: as the tom could hear a bag of feed being 813 00:46:35,120 --> 00:46:38,759 Speaker 1: open from a mile away. We kept the feed in 814 00:46:38,760 --> 00:46:40,359 Speaker 1: a trash can and I had to use the lid 815 00:46:40,400 --> 00:46:43,839 Speaker 1: as a shield, Captain America style so he wouldn't hop 816 00:46:43,840 --> 00:46:46,200 Speaker 1: into the can and take me with him. He was 817 00:46:46,239 --> 00:46:49,680 Speaker 1: a jerk. The female, however, was actually really really sweet 818 00:46:49,680 --> 00:46:53,920 Speaker 1: and duscile, uh docile. My special need son was just 819 00:46:54,040 --> 00:46:56,279 Speaker 1: learning to walk at the time, and she would walk 820 00:46:56,320 --> 00:46:59,120 Speaker 1: beside us ever so slowly, and then sit down for 821 00:46:59,239 --> 00:47:02,279 Speaker 1: him to pet her. I was so heartbroken when she 822 00:47:02,320 --> 00:47:04,319 Speaker 1: died that I went out in the field and read 823 00:47:04,320 --> 00:47:08,359 Speaker 1: a Bible verse over her body. She says, don't judge me. 824 00:47:08,440 --> 00:47:11,279 Speaker 1: We would never judge you for that. That's amazing. They're 825 00:47:11,280 --> 00:47:13,080 Speaker 1: also wild turkeys in the area and often had to 826 00:47:13,080 --> 00:47:15,360 Speaker 1: stop the car to let them cross the road. I 827 00:47:15,480 --> 00:47:16,880 Speaker 1: love to stick my head out of the window and 828 00:47:16,880 --> 00:47:19,439 Speaker 1: gobble at them because they would always raise their heads 829 00:47:19,440 --> 00:47:23,839 Speaker 1: and gobble back. And here's a lady coming again into 830 00:47:23,920 --> 00:47:27,719 Speaker 1: the gobble. I love it. That's from Steph T. Thanks 831 00:47:27,719 --> 00:47:30,480 Speaker 1: Steph T. Is it really Steph T? Well? I mean 832 00:47:31,440 --> 00:47:35,920 Speaker 1: ste F hard Stuff letter T Right, But there was 833 00:47:35,960 --> 00:47:37,880 Speaker 1: a joke I made in the Tricky episode where like 834 00:47:38,000 --> 00:47:42,080 Speaker 1: somebody was named Tom T like it was Tom Turkey. 835 00:47:42,160 --> 00:47:48,080 Speaker 1: So maybe this is she said she gobbles. Maybe. Well, 836 00:47:48,120 --> 00:47:49,600 Speaker 1: if you're a Turkey and you want to get in 837 00:47:49,640 --> 00:47:52,480 Speaker 1: touch with this about her Turkey episode or for whatever reason, 838 00:47:52,719 --> 00:47:55,440 Speaker 1: you can send us an email. The Stuff podcast at 839 00:47:55,480 --> 00:47:59,279 Speaker 1: iHeart radio dot com and again, Happy do Year, everybody. 840 00:47:59,440 --> 00:48:04,400 Speaker 1: Have you know you here? Stuff You Should Know is 841 00:48:04,440 --> 00:48:07,120 Speaker 1: a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts for 842 00:48:07,160 --> 00:48:09,960 Speaker 1: my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, 843 00:48:10,040 --> 00:48:15,520 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. M hm 844 00:48:19,000 --> 00:48:19,160 Speaker 1: hm