Born on this day in Dijon, French structural engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (1832–1923) had little reason to feel overshadowed by his creation. The iron lattice tower that bears his name rose from controversy into an enduring symbol of Paris, admired by visitors from around the world.

The wrought-iron landmark was built on the left bank of the River Seine as a temporary exhibit for the Exposition of 1889, commemorating the hundredth anniversary of the French Revolution. Many Parisians resisted the idea at first, calling it an iron skeleton and a hollow candlestick. Eiffel trusted his vision and carried on.

Nicknamed the magician of iron, he believed in honest materials. “Why should we disguise the industrial nature of iron, even in the city?” he asked. With its open lattice design, the tower sketched geometry into the sky and showed that strength and beauty could share the same form.

A tribute to mathematics and science, the Eiffel Tower stands about 984 feet high. It took nearly 26 months to build and became the tallest structure in the world for forty years, until New York’s Chrysler Building surpassed it in 1930. There are 1,665 steps to the top, though most visitors choose the elevator.

Eiffel’s genius extended beyond Paris. He designed essential parts of the internal structure of the Statue of Liberty, giving that monument its enduring strength. In both works he pursued the same ideal: stability with grace.

“The first principle of architectural beauty,” he said, “is that the essential lines of a construction be determined by a perfect appropriateness to its use.” He built not for applause but for generations.

Today the tower feels inseparable from Paris. What began as a disputed experiment has become a beloved landmark, lit each night like a vertical constellation above the city. Eiffel’s work invites us to ask what we are building in our own lives that might endure beyond the first flash of fame.

He encourages us to choose lasting substance. Do your work with care, in iron or in words, in art or in simple kindness, and let time reveal its true height.