Gustave Eiffel: A Biographical Sketch

Abstract

The family background and education of Gustave Eiffel are out‐lined. Emphasis is placed on the nature of his engineering courses. His early work on the Bordeaux Bridge is the start of an extraordinary career as a structural engineer. The Panama Affair is discussed and then Eiffel's second great career as an aeronautical scientist is mentioned. It evolved from his wish to use the tower, and proved very timely due to the birth of the aeroplane with its need for an understanding of aeronautics. The question of the significance of Eiffel to himself, his contemporaries, and us is also addressed.