Whose names are written on the Eiffel Tower?
The Eiffel Tower is engraved with the names of 72 French scientists to honor their contributions to science and engineering.
Gustave Eiffel defended his tower against critics by calling it a temple of science. He engraved the names of 72 legendary figures like Ampère and Fourier in gold letters below the first balcony. This move linked the tower to French intellectual pride and helped prevent its planned demolition. Though painted over in the early 1900s, the names were fully restored in 1986.
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The 72 names represent a 'who's who' of French intellectual achievement during the 18th and 19th centuries. Gustave Eiffel commissioned the engravings to counter the 'Protest Against the Tower of Monsieur Eiffel,' a petition signed by famous artists who viewed the structure as a 'hateful column of bolted sheet metal.' By dedicating the monument to science, Eiffel successfully argued that the tower was a tool for meteorological and aerodynamic research rather than just an eyesore.The list includes iconic names such as André-Marie Ampère, known for electromagnetism, and Joseph Fourier, famous for his work on heat transfer. Notably, the list is exclusively male, as female scientists like Sophie Germain were excluded despite their vital contributions to the elasticity theory used in the tower's construction. The letters were originally 60 centimeters tall and coated in gold leaf to ensure they were visible from the ground.During the early 20th century, the names were covered by paint during routine maintenance of the iron structure. It was not until the restoration project of 1986 and 1987, managed by the Société Nouvelle de l'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel, that the names were cleaned and repainted. Today, these names serve as a permanent reminder of the tower's role as a laboratory for scientific experimentation during the Industrial Revolution.
Verified Fact
FP-0009388 · Feb 22, 2026