102 years ago today, on December 28, 1923 (November 21, 1923), the builder of the Eiffel Tower passed away. On December 28, 1923, Gustave Eiffel died in Paris of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 91. Eiffel was famous in Europe as one of the most outstanding engineers of this century who made important achievements in metal construction. His achievements include the Eiffel Tower built in Paris and named after him, some of the huge bridges and viaducts in France and the huge railway bridge in Porto. When, in 1886, Eiffel proposed the construction of the present tower for the Paris Exposition of 1889, his plans went unheeded, and he insisted, eventually receiving financial assistance to complete the task. Three years later, when the exposition opened in Paris, Eiffel was able to raise the French flag on the tallest building in all of Paris, now a symbol of France itself.