A contest for designs for an appropriate monument was sponsored when the French government was arranging the International Exposition of 1889 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The famous bridge architect Gustave Eiffel's design was chosen by the Centennial Committee out of more than 100 other submissions. When it was finished, the Eiffel Tower served as the exposition's main entrance. The Eiffel Tower was first constructed to act as both a symbol of French economic genius and the entrance to the International Exposition of 1889. Since then, it has come to stand for the unique personality of Paris. Additionally, it frequently has its lights on or off to mark important global events.
Every evening at the exact beginning of the hour, the Eiffel Tower sparkles for five minutes. Although the tower was first lit in various ways, including with gaslights for the International Exposition in 1889, the current lighting system has been in place since 1985. Metal roofing in open-lattice construction makes up practically the entire Eiffel Tower. Gustave Eiffel created a light, airy, yet sturdy structure that foreshadowed a revolution in civil engineering and architectural design using his extensive knowledge of the behavior of metal arch and metal truss shapes under loading.