France: Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923), French civil engineer and architect, 1889

Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (born Boenickhausen, 15 December 1832 Ð 27 December 1923) was a French civil engineer and architect. A graduate of the ƒcole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, he made his name with various bridges for the French railway network, most famously the Garabit viaduct. He is best known for the world-famous Eiffel Tower, built for the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris, France. After his retirement from engineering, Eiffel concentrated his energies on research into meteorology and aerodynamics, making important contributions in both fields. Eiffel's best-known works in Asia are the General Post Office in Saigon (1886-1891) and the Truong Tien Bridge in Hue (1897-1899). The iconic Long Bien Bridge across the Red River at Hanoi is frequently misattributed to Eiffel, but was in fact designed and built by the French company Dayde and Pille. (Photo by: Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)