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The Eiffel Tower seems quaint and charming now, but it was the tallest structure in the world for 40 years.

Jerry Pournelle says that at the end of the 19th century, it restored French national pride:

“Honored compatriot, we come, writers, painters, sculptors, architects, passionate lovers of the beauty of Paris—a beauty until now unspoiled—to protest with all our might, with all our outrage… of the useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower”

Founder, The Roots of Progress (rootsofprogress.org). I write about the history of technology and the philosophy of progress. Former tech founder.

“Honored compatriot, we come, writers, painters, sculptors, architects, passionate lovers of the beauty of Paris—a beauty until now unspoiled—to protest with all our might, with all our outrage… of the useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower”

https://www.maximumnewyork.com/p/naysayer-deference