As with many of today's iconic buildings, the tower started off by causing a, perhaps understandable, degree of controversy. After all, this iron tower was to dominate a skyline of a city filled with some of the world's finest stone architecture.  Standing at 300 meters (1000 feet) tall, construction of the tower began in 1887 and almost immediately the voices of some 47 self appointed defenders of the city's cultural standards began to make themsleves heard. These artists, writers, poets, sculptors and other notable denizens provided some colorful insults to the structure.  Paul Verlained suggested that it would be a "belfry skeleton", Leon Bloy called it a "a truly tragic street lamp", Francos Coppée described it as a "mast of iron gymnasium apparatus, incomplete, confused and deformed", and Joris-Karl Huysmans, in a truly imaginative piece called it "a half-built factory pipe, a carcass waiting to be fleshed out with freestone or brick, a funnel-shaped grill, a hole-riddled suppository".

But despite the protests the building went ahead and it was completed in time for the 1889 World's fair, celebrating 100 years since the French Revolution.

Throughout its history it has been the site of some spectacular, if not always successful stunts:

• On the 4th February 1912, Franz Reichelt ended his life by jumping 60meters from the first deck with a home-made parachute.
• In 1925, Victor Lustig , a notable conman, took advantage of the towers poor state of repair and managed to convince buyers that the government no longer wanted to maintain it and that it was to be sold for scrap.
• Between 1925 and 1934 French car maker, Citroën paid to for an illuminated advertisement on 3 of the towers sides.
• On the 31st March 1984 Robert J. Moriarty flew a Beechcraft Bonanza between the pillars of the tower, for no other reason than “just for fun”.
• An early bungee jump was demonstrated by A J Hackett (inventor of the sport) in 1987 when he threw himself off the tower. Unlike Franz Reichelt, Hackett survived and was promptly arrested.

To read about how Mio, a senior sponsor of Expo 2010, are sponsoring the site and to get a FREE online and mobile travel e-book visit www.mio.com/expo2010 and m.mio.com/expo2010