Biography of Gustave Eiffel
Gustave Eiffel was born in 1832 in Dijon, France. In 1855, the
same year that Paris hosted the first World's Fair, Eiffel graduated
from the Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures.
Following his graduation from collage, went to Bordeaux, in the
southwest of France, where he supervised the building of the great
Bordeaux railway bridge. Following completion of the bridge,
in 1864, Eiffel set up his own
construction company which specialized in metal structural work.
His company built hundreds of metal structures of all kinds, all
around the world. Eiffel's favorite undertakings were the
construction of railroad bridges. However, he also
participated in broad array of some of the most prestigious
structural work of the 19th and early 20th century, including the
Maria Pia bridge and the Porto viaduct spanning Portugal's Douro
River [1876], the Garabit
viaduct in the Cantal region of
France, Budapest Hungary's Pest railway station [1884], the dome of
the Nice observatory and the ingenious structural infrastructure of
the Statue of Liberty. His crowning achievement was, of
course, the Tour Eiffel [Eiffel Tower], which he erected in Paris in
1889.
His business career was marred by the failure of French failure in
the construction of the Panama Canal. Following that debauchal,
he dedicated the remaining 30 years of his life to experimental
research into such scientific fields as aerodynamics, meteorology
and radiotelegraphy.
He died on December 27, 1923.
How Old Is the Statue of Liberty
The history of the statue of liberty
spans some 130 years. Since the statue's fabrication began
in 1875, it could have celebrated its centennial in 1975;
however, the statue and its pedestal weren't dedicated until
1886, making Miss Liberty 100 years old in 1986. Other
facts on the statue of liberty are:
- It is believed to be the tallest
metal statue ever made;
- It is 152 feet [46 m] high;
- It was fabricated of copper sheets;
- It was shipped to the United States
in 1885;
- It stands on a 10 acre [4 hectare]
island, in New York harbor known as Liberty Island [formerly
Bedloe's Island] which was renamed in 1956;
- Its base is an 11-pointed star
measuring 150 feet [45 m] across, made of granite faced
concrete;
- It was dedicated by U.S. President
Grover Cleveland;
- It became a national monument in
1924.
Why Is the Statue of Liberty Green
The Statue of
Liberty has turned green, over the years, due to the effects
of acid containing rain on its copper sheathing.
Statue of Liberty Stamps
Many of us are unfamiliar with stamps minted to
commemorate the building of the Statue of Liberty. The
following are U.S. Statue of Liberty stamps:
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Statue of Liberty
15 Cent Stamp
issued
Nov. 11, 1922 |
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Statue of Liberty
3 Cent Stamp
issued
June 24, 1954 |
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Statue of Liberty
8 Cent Stamp
issued
Apr. 9, 1954 |
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Just 3 years after the end of World War I,
the United States issued a stamp depicting the Statue of
Liberty. This 15¢ stamp of Memorial Day, 1922,
symbolizes the significance America placed on freedom and
hope, with Liberty's beacon lighting the way for all
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Statue of Liberty
11 Cent Stamp
issued
June 15, 1961 |
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The 2001 Statue of Liberty Quarter
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The 2001 Statue of Liberty quarter is also referred to
as the New York quarter because Lady Liberty, together with
the phrase "Gateway to Freedom", is superimposed upon an
outline of the state of New York.
This design was issued, by the mint, to commemorate the "Empire State" as
the gateway that funneled millions of immigrants into the
land of political freedom and democracy. |
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2001 Statue of Liberty Quarter |
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