Fact, checked
The Eiffel Tower Gets Taller Every Summer
The difference can be up to fifteen centimeters, or about six inches. The Eiffel Tower isn't one fixed height. It actually changes its size depending on the weather, breathing with the seasons.
How can a metal tower grow? The Eiffel Tower isn’t one fixed height. It actually changes its size depending on the weather, breathing with the seasons.
A Living Landmark
On a cold winter day, the thousands of tons of iron that make up its frame are all contracted, pulled in tight by the chill. The tower is at its standard, shortest height.
But when summer comes to Paris, the sun beats down on that iron lattice. Every metal part starts to expand. This is thermal expansion.
This isn't a tiny change. The difference can be up to fifteen centimeters, or about six inches. The tower literally grows taller in the heat, and shrinks back when it gets cold. What other landmarks have a secret?
Every claim, checked
This is the whole list, including the ones we could not confirm. Verified means a checker confirmed it and named a source that exists. Wrong means both checkers said so. The rest failed in three different ways, and we say which. Not established: we checked and nobody could pin it down. No source: a checker backed it, but the citation did not hold up. Second check disagreed: the first reading confirmed it and the second one would not. Each line also says how the verdict was reached: searched means we went to the web to confirm the source exists, not searched means the verdict rests on what the checkers already know. The rest is in how we check things.
The difference can be up to fifteen centimeters, or about six inches.VerifiedsearchedOfficial information from the Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (press/technical notes) and Encyclopaedia Britannica entry on the Eiffel Tower (both noting height variation ~15 cm)
The Eiffel Tower isn't one fixed height. It actually changes its size depending on the weather, breathing with the seasons.VerifiedsearchedEiffel Tower (Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel) official information / press materials; Britannica entry on Eiffel Tower
When summer comes to Paris, the sun beats down on that iron lattice. Every metal part starts to expand. This is thermal expansion.VerifiedsearchedPhysics textbook - thermal expansion principle
On a cold winter day, the thousands of tons of iron that make up its frame are all contracted, pulled in tight by the chill. The tower is at its standard, shortest height.VerifiedsearchedMusée d'Orsay/Eiffel Tower technical descriptions; Britannica entry on Eiffel Tower (describing construction material and mass)
People also ask
How much taller does the Eiffel Tower get?
The tower's height can increase by as much as fifteen centimeters, which is about six inches. This growth occurs during the summer when the structure is heated by the sun.
Why does the Eiffel Tower's height change?
The change in height is due to a process called thermal expansion. In the summer, the sun heats the iron lattice, causing every metal part to expand. The reverse happens in the cold.
What happens to the Eiffel Tower in the winter?
During a cold winter day, the tower reaches its standard, shortest height. The thousands of tons of iron that form its frame contract, pulled in tight by the cold temperatures.
One fact a week, drawn.
One email per video: the myth, what's actually true, and links to the research. No spam, unsubscribe in one click.