The Eiffel Tower Then
Believe it or not, the city actually built the Eiffel Tower as an entrance to the World Fair of 1889. Of all the artists who submitted proposals, it was the architect, Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel that ultimately received the honor of constructing the great Parisian monument. It is notable to point out that it was actually one of his employees, Maurice Koechlin—not Eiffel himself—that devised the Eiffel Tower’s original design and conception. When the Eiffel Tower first made its debut at 1,000 feet high was deemed the tallest building in the world.
Despite its popularity today, back then many Parisians hated it as they either feared the structure was unsound or believed that it was nothing more than an annoying eyesore. It was even scheduled for demolition in 1909, with the arrival of World War I but was put on hold, as the tower ultimately proved to be a vital radiotelegraph station for the country and its Allies.
The Lincoln Memorial Then
The Lincoln Memorial was built to commemorate the president’s tragic assassination in 1865. In the end, it took more than 50 years before the ground finally broke on the memorial project, and construction began. From here, it would take another ten or so years before the final monument was completed. In 1922, the Lincoln Memorial was finally opened to the general public.
The dedication ceremony celebrated and unified both civilians and veterans. Sadly it did not succeed in unifying a large part of the population as those attending the 1922 dedication ceremony were divided along racial lines even if it appeared to advocate for equality.
The Lincoln Memorial Today
In more recent years, this historic site has become an area for some of the nation’s most important civil justice movements. Of the many historic events to occur at the Lincoln Memorial, perhaps the most notable to date is Dr. Martin Luther King’s I Have A Dream” speech. Given on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, this iconic speech gave a “new voice to the meanings that reverberated through the stone.” According to Statista, today the Lincoln Memorial hosts an average of approximately 6 million visitors every year. In 2018, this number rose to an estimated 7.8 million.
The Lincoln Memorial is inscribed with excerpts from two of Lincoln’s most famous speeches: The Gettysburg Address and Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address. He is largely regarded as a “Savior of the Union,” so it’s only right that the monument has served as a site for many protests and speeches throughout the years.
The Eiffel Tower Today
Today the Eiffel Tower is considered one of the “most recognizable structures on the planet." To ensure proper maintenance of the structure, 500 employees are tasked with keeping up the tower’s daily operations, including restaurant workers, elevator operators, security guards, and crowd organizers, who control the vital flow of the crowds that flock in and out of the Eiffel Tower’s platforms.
Here, guests are just a short elevator ride away from breathtaking, panoramic views of Paris, viewable at the three different access points of the tower. For those looking to splurge, two of these levels of the Eiffel Tower actually contain restaurants, where one can sit by candlelight while taking in the beauty that is Paris, France.
The Golden Gate Bridge Then
The iconic Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge was initially created to connect the bustling cosmopolitan city of San Francisco, to its northern, more isolated suburban neighbors. According to the History Channel, prior to the construction of the bridge, the only way to travel between these two locations was by ferry boat. In 1919, a Chicago engineer and Ohio native by the name of Joseph Strauss was appointed and hired as the bridge’s chief engineer. This was no easy feat.
Not only did it cost millions of dollars but there was also a lot of resistance from people like city officials, environmentalists, and of course many ferry operators who feared the future of their businesses. Additionally, those in opposition were also adamantly concerned that no bridge would be unable to withstand major natural disasters that were somewhat common in the area, like the earthquake that shook up San Francisco in 1906.