The Eiffel Tower took 2 years, 2 months, and 5 days to build. Construction started on January 28, 1887, and was completed on March 31, 1889. The process involved about 300 workers and included assembling around 18,000 metal parts with rivets, using steam-powered cranes and wooden scaffolding. The tower was unveiled during the Paris World Fair in 1889 and was initially intended as a temporary structure but became a permanent Parisian icon.