In celebration of Bastille Day, Seth Godin’s blog included the following about the Eiffel Tower:

• It was designed at home on the kitchen table
• By someone who didn’t get their name on it
• It had never been done before, not guaranteed to get built or to work
• It was criticized by hundreds of leading intellectuals and cultural experts
• It wasn’t supposed to last very long
• It’s designed to be an icon, it’s not an accident
• People flock to it because it’s famous
• You can sketch a recognizable version of it on a napkin

I did a bit more research. In May of 1884, working at his kitchen table at home, Maurice Koechlin made an outline drawing of the scheme he and Emile Nouguier, both engineers with the Eiffel firm, had conceived of as the centerpiece for the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris, coinciding with the centennial of the French Revolution. Initially the owner of the company, Mr Eiffel himself, was not enthusiastic about the concept. Continue reading →