Answer: Radio Broadcasts

Video might have killed the radio star, but the radio star saved the Eiffel Tower on his way out. Or, more precisely, radio technology saved the Tower.

The Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889 and was never intended to be a permanent structure. It was erected for the 1889 Exposition Universelle (Universal Exhibition); the City of Paris only gave the building a 20 year lease. In 1909 it was slated for demolition but a stay was put on the process as the Tower had proven to be a fantastic platform for radio broadcasts.

The Tower was later outfitted with radio jammers in World War I and used to jam German radio broadcasts. After the War War I, it was returned to use in civilian broadcasting and, in 1957, was outfitted with the current broadcast array.

Over a century after its construction, the Eiffel Tower has gone on to become the most iconic piece of France: an instantly identifiable symbol for both Paris and France as a whole.