On this day in 1889, the Eiffel Tower was inaugurated in Paris. It was built for the Paris Exposition as part of the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution, and also as a demonstration of the structural capabilities of iron. The tower elicited strong reactions after its opening. A petition of 300 names, including writers Guy de Maupassant, Émile Zola, and Alexandre Dumas the younger, was sent to the city government protesting its construction, declaring it 'useless' and a 'monstrosity.'
De Maupassant hated the tower so much that he started eating in its restaurant every day, because, he said, 'It is the only place in Paris where I don't have to see it.'