The Eiffel Tower grows 6 inches every summer
The Eiffel Tower grows about 15 cm taller in summer.
Reviewed by the CurioVault curator · 8 October 2026 · Last updated 24 September 2026 · Editorial standards
The Eiffel Tower grows about 15 cm taller in summer. It is thermal expansion. When the sun heats one side, the iron expands and the tower leans slightly away from the sun and gains height. In winter it shrinks back. Gustave Eiffel designed for this, using a lattice that can flex. The same physics makes bridges have expansion joints and railway tracks buckle. Paris engineers measure the shift each year. It is not an illusion, it is metal breathing with the seasons.
Sources & Further Reading
Connected Curiosities
Hot water can freeze faster than cold water
Hot water can freeze faster than cold water.
Lightning is five times hotter than the surface of the sun
A bolt of lightning is five times hotter than the surface of the sun.
Water can boil and freeze at the same time
Water can boil and freeze at the exact same time.
This curio is written in original words for CurioVault. Facts themselves are not copyrightable, but our wording is. If you reuse, please credit CurioVault.co.