The Eiffel Tower is one of the most iconic structures in the world, a must-see when visiting France. It's so fundamental to the scenery of Paris that it's hard to imagine that there were times it wasn't there. But before 1887, when the construction of the tower started, there was only a debate over how to celebrate the centennial of the French Revolution and a suitable centerpiece for the proposed 1889 Exposition Universelle. Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguier, two senior engineers working for the Compagnie des Établissements Eiffel are attributed with the design of the tower. However, as hard as it is to imagine, there were many people who thought the design to be hideous and many even protested the construction, especially artists. Nonetheless, the tower was finished on 15 March 1889, with 300 on-site workers, 1 fatality and around 10k tons of metal. Looming at 300m the Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure in the world at that time.