Which 1889 structure became the tallest man-made landmark in the world?

The Eiffel Tower became the tallest man-made landmark in the world when it opened in 1889.

Gustave Eiffel’s company designed and built the iron tower for the Exposition Universelle, a world’s fair held in Paris to celebrate the centenary of the French Revolution. Construction began in 1887 and was completed in time for the fair’s opening in March 1889. The tower originally stood about 300 metres tall, excluding later antenna additions.

Many artists and intellectuals criticized the proposed structure before it was built, arguing that its iron lattice would damage Paris’s historic appearance. Yet the tower attracted millions of visitors during the exposition and became a lasting symbol of France and modern engineering.

The Eiffel Tower remained the world’s tallest man-made structure until New York’s Chrysler Building surpassed it in 1930. It was initially intended to be temporary, but its usefulness for radio transmission helped preserve it. The tower is now one of the world’s most visited paid monuments.