Did you know? The first floor of the Eiffel Tower features a frieze engraved with the names of 72 notable French men—scientists, engineers, and industrialists—including Gustave Eiffel himself. For over 130 years, these names have been inscribed in gold, capital letters, and raised relief, honoring figures celebrated for their contributions to France from 1789 to 1889.
In the coming months, they will be joined by 72 women scientists, including the legendary Marie Curie, as well as Angélique du Coudray, a pioneering obstetrician born in 1712, and Yvonne Bruhat, a physicist and mathematician who passed away in 2025. This announcement was made by Anne Hidalgo on Monday, January 26, 2026. The Mayor of Paris revealed plans to inscribe 72 names of distinguished women scientists on the Eiffel Tower. Initiated in March 2025 by the City of Paris, the Eiffel Tower Operating Company (SETE) and the organization "Femmes & Sciences" aim to restore their "place within this scientific pantheon," according to Paris City Hall.
« It's time to restore the recognition women deserve on the Eiffel Tower, this iconic monument admired worldwide and originally designed by Gustave Eiffel as a tribute to science and scientists! Soon, young girls gazing at the Eiffel Tower will be able to aspire to become doctors, mathematicians, chemists, biologists, computer scientists, engineers, physicists, astrophysicists, or climate scientists. We need scientists and women to shape the future of our world. This is a wonderful prospect that should inspire and excite us all! », declared Anne Hidalgo in a statement.
The project aims to display the 72 names of these women scientists on a strip just above the existing frieze, on the first floor. Please note that this list has yet to be submitted and approved by the three relevant Academies (Sciences, Medicine, and Technologies). They will then determine the official and final validation of the selected women scientists' names.
Official website
www.paris.fr
