The Eiffel Tower is named after its designer, Gustave Eiffel, and built for the Universal Exhibition of 1889 to commemerate the centennial of the Revolution. It was originally supposed to be a temporary structure, but it has remained standing. At the time of its construction, it was the tallest structure built by man, until 1931, when the Empire State Building was built.
The Cathedral of Notre Dame dates back to the 12th century. It was built on the site of a Roman temple, and was commisioned by Bishop de Sully in 1159. Construction began in 1163, and took two centuries to complete. It has been the site of the coronations of Henery the 6th and Napoleon, just to name a few. In the 19th century, the Catherdral underwent renovations, adding gargoyles and a steeple to the building. The renovations were carried out by the architect Viollet-le-Duc.
The Louvre is perhaps the most famous meuseum in the entire world. It is home to some of the most famous and most valuable pieces of art, among which is the Mona Lisa. It was originally built as a fortress by King Forest-Auguste in 1190 to keep out Viking raiders. During the reign of François I, the keep and dungeon were taken away. For the past four centuries, French kings and emperors have added different things to the building. One of the most recent additions to the Louvre was a metal and glass pyramid in 1989.
The average temperature in Paris ranges from 19°C (66°F) in the summer to 3°C (37°F) in the winter. Rain is evenly distributed throughout the year, with no season having more precipitation than the other. Total rainfall throughout the year is on average 585 millimeters (23 inches).
Paris' first historical reference is by Caesar, and iit was refered to as Lutetia. The name was changed to Paris in the 4th century. In 1358, the first of a string of revolutions in 1358. During the reign of Napoleon (1804-1815), he improved the overall quality of Paris. He built uays, markets, squares, bridges, streets, and public gardens. The total cost of all of this was about $20,000,000 million. In WWI, France was decimated by the Germans. The government was temporarily moved to Bordeaux on September 2, 1914, for four months. During WWII, the government declared the country 'abandoned', and the Nazis came through and took over on June 14, 1940. The country was eventually freed by the Allied Powers, and since then, Paris, as well as the entire country, has since been revived, and now Paris is the cinter of tourism and culture in Europe.