1832-1923

French engineer who pioneered steel bridge designs and constructed the tower named after him. After chemistry studies, he worked as a railway engineer and later headed his own engineering firm. In 1885 he designed the internal metal structure of the Statue of Liberty, sculpted by Bartoldi and given to the United States. Two years later, he supervised the construction of the famous 900-foot-tall tower, which was inaugurated at the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris. He spent the remainder of his life studying aerodynamics.