Speech: The Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower

And the Impact it has Made on the World

I. Introduction

A. Attention Getter-Every evening at sunset, the city of Paris is illuminated with the Eiffel Tower’s light show.

1. The monument is known for the light show, which consists of 20,000 gold lights displayed the first ten minutes of every hour.

2. Tourists from all over the world come to visit the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France to witness its beauty firsthand.

B. Credibility Statement-Show the picture of the Eiffel Tower being illuminated.

1. This is a picture I took while visiting the Eiffel Tower last year.

2. Along with viewing the light show, I also visited the inside of the monument and took an escalator to the top.

3. Following my visit, I researched more about

Thesis Statement-By being informed about the many roles the Eiffel Tower has played in France’s history, the monument is seen in a completely different light.

D. Relevance Statement-This monument is currently the most visited paid monument in the world, attracting 7 million tourists like you and me every year.3

E. Preview Statement-Today, I am going to inform you about how the monument was constructed, the role the monument has played in history, and how the Eiffel Tower serves the world today.

F. Transitional Statement-So let’s start from the beginning and talk about why the Eiffel Tower was built.

II. The construction of the Eiffel Tower

A. The Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World Fair to symbolize the 100-year anniversary of the French Revolution.3

1. There was a total of 700 different architectural designs submitted in a competition and Gustave Eiffel’s design won.2

2. Gustave Eiffel and his crew began construction of the Eiffel Tower on January 26, 1887.3

B. All of the materials used in the construction process were manufactured in Eiffel’s factory first.3

1. The pieces of puddle iron were later brought to the construction site and held together using rivets.3

2. Assembling the rivets was a long process; taking four men to complete the assembly of just one

Transitional Statement- Following the completion of the Eiffel tower in 1889, the monument served Paris in many different ways.

III. The role the monument served throughout history

A. According to Student Science and Ron Cowen, the Eiffel Tower was supposed to be a temporary structure.1

1. The majority of people in Paris did not want the monument in the city.1

2. There were petitions written to protest the tower in the city.

B. Although many did not agree, Gustave Eiffel knew how to save the tower.

1. The tower served the city and the rest of the world through scientific research, which ensured the tower would not be torn down.1

2. There was a weather station on the third floor of the tower that measured air pressure.1

3. This gave rise to studies of aerodynamics and a wind laboratory.1

C. Lastly, the radio station in the Eiffel Tower helped France in many ways

1. During WWII, the monument was used to transmit signals to the French army forts throughout Europe.1

2. It played a pivotal role during the war and helped keep France safe.1

D. Transitional Statement- Now that we’ve discussed the many scientific roles the Eiffel Tower has played, let’s discuss the significance of the monument in the world today.

IV. Significance of the monument