Thanks to restoration underway on the Eiffel Tower, the engraved names of 72 French scientists and engineers from the original design are becoming visible again. The engravings were covered over in the early 20th century and restored for the first time in 1986-1987 by the Société Nouvelle d’exploitation de la Tour Eiffel, who runs the site.

Most of these scientists were active during the French Revolution and early 19th century. Among the more prominent are Foucalt, Gay-Lussac, Fourier, Monge. Many of the scientists are also memorialized as streets in Paris.  If your interest is in hydraulic engineering, you’re in luck because 14 of them are reviewed in this journal by the American Society of Civil Engineers. For a full list of names, click here.

Close-up of newly restored names on the south side of the tower

How to Get There:
Metro: 6 to Bir Hakeim or RER to Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel

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