Did The Eiffel Tower Grow Six Metres Taller?

Several media reports started to float on social media stating that the Eiffel Tower grew by six meters. Here's what really happened:

A new digital radio antenna was mounted on top of the Eiffel Tower on Tuesday, increasing its height by six meters (19.69 feet). After the DAB+ (digital audio) antenna was airlifted onto its pinnacle by helicopter under a leaden sky, the tower, erected by Gustave Eiffel in the late 19th century, now measures 330 metres.

According to live television photos, the chopper lowered the antenna onto its base atop the tower, where workmen secured it in an operation that lasted less than 10 minutes. It has, however, been used for broadcast transmissions for almost a century, with the height of its apex shifting several times as old antennas were replaced.

Few Facts About The Eiffel Tower:

- The Eiffel Tower is known as "La dame de fer" in the locality (French for "Iron Lady").

- It was constructed from 1887 to 1889 as the centrepiece of the 1889 World's Fair, and while several of France's best artists and philosophers were initially critical of its design, it has since become a global cultural emblem of France and one of the most recognisable structures in the world.

- The tower is 324 metres (1,063 feet) tall, about the equivalent of an 81-storey building, and it is the tallest structure in Paris. It features a square foundation with each side measuring 125 metres (410 feet).

- During construction, the Eiffel Tower surpassed the Washington Monument as the world's tallest man-made structure, a position it held for four decades until the Chrysler Building in New York City was finished in 1929.

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- It was the world's first structure to reach heights of more than 200 and 300 metres. The tower was 5.2 metres(17 ft) taller than the Chrysler Building when a broadcasting aerial was added to the top in 1957.

- The Eiffel Tower, excluding transmitters, is France's second tallest free-standing building after the Millau Viaduct.