For 43 years, the Eiffel Tower has been the tallest man-made building in the world, 324 meters high. To this day, it remains the tallest building in Paris and has attracted more than 250 million visitors since it was built as an entrance to the 1889 World's Fair. Although the French initially hated the Eiffel Tower — a group of 300 artists, sculptors and architects signed a petition in 1887 calling for a halt to the construction of the "ridiculous tower" — it has now become one of the world's most popular landmarks.
But Paris is also haunted by eerie sights and events, from the bones of the catacombs to the endless giggles of the ghosts of the Eiffel Tower. This iconic building has experienced many tragic events, not to mention witnessing global wars and multiple attempts to demolish it.
These disturbing stories about the Eiffel Tower (mostly) are true – from screaming souls to the accidental death of a famous parachute inventor.
<h1>A jumper fell on the transparent roof of a restaurant – and diners continued to eat</h1>
In 2009, a young girl tourist from Brazil jumped from the Eiffel Tower. According to the Daily Mail, her brother frantically tried to stop her, but she jumped over the railing before his brother could reach her. So she landed on the transparent roof of the next restaurant at 54 meters.
While the incident may be troubling, it's clearly not enough to shake the customers crowding the restaurant, who barely raise their eyebrows.
"When the roof cracked, it cracked like a bomb exploded, and then everyone there quickly realized what was happening," one waiter said of the incident. "But the strangest thing is that most customers just keep eating." I don't know why they did it. ”
<h1>A female ghost laughs (and screams) at the tourists</h1>
The Eiffel Tower is the classic place for a marriage proposal, but in the 1920s, a marriage proposal quickly turned into a nightmare. According to an urban legend, an American man fell in love with a woman and one day agreed to date on a Paris landmark – but their respective intentions were very different.
He wanted to propose and she wanted to break up, and she felt that the beautiful scenery might alleviate the blow to the other person. But before she could propose a breakup, he got down on one knee and proposed to her. So she rejected his marriage proposal, and then he was said to have pushed her down in anger.
Other versions of the story claim that the woman accidentally fell while retreating. Either way, she didn't survive. Today, the woman is said to haunt the Eiffel Tower. Visitors often heard her nervous giggles, followed by screams of pain, a strange sound that went on and on.
<h1>Hundreds of people ended their lives there</h1>
By 1966, 349 people had committed suicide at the Eiffel Tower, according to Time magazine. Contrary to popular belief, victims are not all suicide jumpers – at least some of the recorded cases of hangings. Not all attempts have been successful. Some of the people who jumped from the first floor are still alive.
However, according to Reuters, in recent years, the fence set up by the tower has effectively prevented jumpers. Jumping off the Eiffel Tower is said to be one of the most popular ways to commit suicide in Paris.
<h1>One inventor fell to his death while testing his custom-made parachute suit</h1>
Franz Reichett was a tailor and inventor who was dubbed by some as a "crazy genius." The Austrian-born Parisian invented an early version of the wingsuit— a wearable parachute attached to a batwing-like fabric. He hoped that his invention would eventually be used by pilots in the event of an aircraft failure. It sounds like a plot from a James Bond movie, but in his case, a terrible mistake happens when he takes his device out for a ride.
In 1912, the inventor jumped from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower to test his product— a 9-kilogram, 32-square-meter parachute with arms and legs sewn into it. In order to activate the parachute, all Reichett had to do was stretch his limbs into a cross shape.
Police initially allowed Reichett to use dummies to test his wingsuit, but he decided to test it himself. Because his patent was about to expire, he needed funding. If he succeeds, the media coverage will be overwhelming. However, when Reichett jumped, the wings did not open and he died after falling. Video footage of this event still exists.
<h1>A city legend about a jumper who married the owner of the car she hit is partly true</h1>
A disturbing urban legend, dating back to a 1965 news story by Alain de Lyrot, reported that more and more people jumped off the Eiffel Tower. Christine Coquintin, a "lonely heartbroken" 17-year-old girl, committed suicide by jumping off a building in November 1964 after ending their marriage contract with her fiancé. She reportedly "landed on a Renault Dauphine car 55 meters below, which collapsed." But she just broke one leg. ”
The owner was not mentioned in the report, but there were rumors that she eventually married the man she had destroyed the car.
<h1>A ghost haunts the secret bunker under the tower</h1>
The Eiffel Tower holds many secrets. While most people tend to climb to the top of the tower, those who climb off the top may find themselves in a secret bunker. The entrance to the bunker is only a few meters from the southern section and is actually open to visitors on weekdays.
According to legend, the bunker had a hidden tunnel leading to École Militaire, a training facility for French soldiers across champ de Mars park.
According to CNET, the bunker is said to house a ghost that "shouts under orders."
<h1>A tourist climbed the Eiffel Tower and jumped</h1>
In 2012, an English-speaking tourist climbed the Eiffel Tower and tried to jump off the top of the tower, triggering a nearby evacuation. According to the Daily Mail, firefighters tried to convince the man, but were unsuccessful. He climbed the entire tower 1,000 feet, almost 324 meters high, and then jumped down.
A police source told the Daily Mail: "The man was only found after starting the climb and the two sides negotiated, but he apparently decided to end his life. "When he climbed between the second and third floors, he jumped."
Earlier that week, a woman in her 30s tried to jump from the Tower of London. After negotiations, she was rescued by helicopter.
<h1>A woman photographed a creepy skull at the top of the tower</h1>
In 1999, to celebrate the arrival of the new millennium, the Eiffel Tower held a famous light show. On this light show, the Eiffel Tower needs 20,000 light bulbs and about 120,000 watts of electricity. Light shows have become an ongoing tradition, and every hour from sunset to 1 a.m., the building shines with sparkling light. The show became a favorite of tourists, but one couple got an unexpected surprise — they took a creepy photo.
In 2014, Lisa Dingley, a resident of Birmingham, England, took the photo at the first light show of the night while on vacation with her boyfriend. The final image is of a creepy skull face hovering near the top of the tower. She told the Daily Mail:
The face at the top of the tower reminded me of a skeleton. I immediately noticed that it looked like a face and showed it to my partner Philip. We were all surprised and looked at it several times – it was obviously a face. I find it scary and I'm sure some people will agree with me.
<h1>It has a secret penthouse</h1>
Tourists may think that the famous champagne bar is one of the few things on top of the Eiffel Tower, but this is a common misconception. In fact, the tower features a penthouse originally designed for Gustave Eiffel, who is also the building's eponymous developer. Throughout his life, Eiffel guarded the apartment closely. He reportedly declined invitations to rent a large number of venues, personally inviting only the most elite guests, such as Thomas Edison.
Despite the strict requirements for entry to Eiffel during the engineer's lifetime, the old apartments in Eiffel have been opened to the public.
It swayed in the wind
Although the Eiffel Tower was built of 7,500 tons of iron, it will certainly still sway in the wind. But don't worry, it was intentional. This structure is designed to be wind resistant, which means it moves with the air flow so it doesn't crack. And it will swing at most about 13 centimeters.
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