Eiffel Tower in popular culture a symbol of the real or threatened destruction of the city, or the world. In others, the tower is used as an embodiment of Paris, the symbol of the city, to set the scene for a film or other work centered on the city. In yet others, as a symbol of the city in a more peripheral way. Other uses, to establish the tower simply as a well known visual element. Eiffel Tower in popular culture The Eiffel Tower has appeared frequently in works of fiction because of its iconic nature. Movie critic Roger Ebert has noted in his online
Gustave Eiffel designed by Charles Garnier, later among the most prominent critics of the Tower. The dome, with a diameter of , was the largest in the world when built and used an ingenious bearing device: rather than running on wheels or rollers, it was supported by a ring-shaped hollow girder floating in a circular trough containing a solution of magnesium chloride in water. This had been patented by Eiffel in 1881. The design of the Eiffel Tower was originated by Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier, who had discussed ideas for a centrepiece for the 1889 Exposition Universelle. In May 1884 Koechlin,