72 Female Scientists Are To Have Been Inscribed On the Eiffel Tower to Join Their Male Counterparts

If you’ve ever stood beneath the Eiffel Tower and looked closely, you might have noticed a neat line of names etched into the fabric of France’s most famous landmark. They belong to 72 men who shaped the world through science, engineering, and invention back in the 18th and 19th centuries. It’s easy to miss if you don’t know it’s there, and I didn’t until recently. 

Until recently, there was just one problem. Every single name belonged to a man. Women, despite their breakthroughs in mathematics, physics, and chemistry during the same era, were entirely left out. Now, that’s changed.

In January this year, 2026, Paris corrected a historic injustice by adding 72 women scientists to the names inscribed on the Eiffel Tower to stand alongside the original frieze. It’s a move that aims to correct a historical imbalance and celebrate the often-overlooked pioneers who changed the course of science. 

The Story Behind the 72 Names Currently on the Eiffel Tower

When Gustave Eiffel unveiled his tower to the world in 1889, he wanted it to be more than a feat of engineering. It was designed as a tribute to science itself. To make that point clear, he added the names of 72 scientists, engineers, and inventors across the first floor, each one carefully chosen for their role in shaping the modern world.

The names are split evenly across all four sides, 18 on each, forming a golden band beneath the first balcony. The list includes figures like mathematician Joseph Fourier, chemist Antoine Lavoisier, and engineer Gustave Coriolis. 

They all shared three things in common: they were French, they had died before the tower’s opening (with one exception), and they lived or worked between 1789 and 1889, a century defined by rapid discovery and industrial progress.

For all its focus on scientific achievement, one glaring omission runs through the list. Every single name belongs to a man. Women who made significant contributions to mathematics, physics, and chemistry during the same period were excluded. Historians have long pointed out that this reflects the era’s attitudes, when women’s work was often dismissed, overlooked, or credited to male colleagues.

A New Chapter for the Eiffel Tower’s Legacy

More than a century after those original names were chosen, a new project has finally set out to bring balance to the story written on the Eiffel Tower. In 2025, the CNRS, one of the world’s leading research organizations, collaborated with the Femmes & Sciences association and the Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel.

Together, they’ve brought in historians, architects, and leading scientists to guide the process and make sure the new inscriptions are handled with care and authenticity. Their mission was to identify 72 women whose work changed the course of science and technology and to see their names added to the monument.

The names are now inscribed in gold letters, matching the size and style of the originals, and are placed just above the existing frieze so the visual harmony of the tower remains intact. Each woman chosen is deceased and recognized by the scientific community for her contribution. 

A report detailing the project was presented to the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, on September 5th 2025. Final approval happened at the end of 2025, and the installation was completed on January 26th, 2026.

This initiative is part of a broader effort to challenge the “Matilda effect,” a term used to describe how women’s achievements in science have often been overlooked or credited to male colleagues. By adding these names, Paris is expanding the story the tower tells, ensuring that the women who shaped our understanding of the world are visible where millions of people from around the globe will see them every year.

The project aims to spark curiosity and inspire young people, especially girls, to see a future for themselves in science and technology. Schools will be encouraged to explore the stories behind the names, and visitors will be invited to learn more about the women whose discoveries shaped the modern world.

Valérie Masson-Delmotte, a leading climate scientist involved in the project, put it simply: “By writing these names into the iron of the Eiffel Tower, we’re writing them into collective memory. It’s a way of showing that science has always been built by many voices, even if not all of them were heard.”

Practical and Heritage Considerations

Adding new inscriptions to a world-famous landmark isn’t as simple as putting up a plaque. The commission is carefully studying how to integrate the names in a way that respects the tower’s heritage while highlighting its evolving story. Everything from the material used to the placement and typography is being considered to maintain the monument’s original character.

The selection process is equally meticulous. Most of the names will likely be French, although some international figures could be included. Candidates must have made significant contributions to their field, and practical details like the length of each name are also taken into account to ensure the final result fits seamlessly into the space.

Three Women Who Have Finally Taken Their Place On the Eiffel Tower

These women represent the legacy this project seeks to celebrate — pioneering minds who overcame exclusion, changed the course of science, and deserve to be remembered in one of the world’s most visible places.

Sophie Germain

Born in Paris in 1776, Sophie Germain taught herself mathematics at a time when women were barred from formal education in the subject. She corresponded under a male pseudonym with some of Europe’s leading mathematicians. She made groundbreaking contributions to number theory and elasticity theory, both essential to the development of engineering and physics. 

Her work was so advanced that Carl Friedrich Gauss, one of history’s greatest mathematicians, praised her as a genius. Despite the barriers she faced, Germain’s theories laid the foundation for modern structural engineering including the principles behind the very tower her name may soon adorn.

Irène Joliot-Curie

The daughter of Marie and Pierre Curie, Irène Joliot-Curie continued her family’s scientific legacy and became one of the most influential physicists of the 20th century. Alongside her husband, Frédéric Joliot, she discovered artificial radioactivity in 1934, a breakthrough that paved the way for medical imaging, cancer treatments, and nuclear energy. 

The pair received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry the following year. Irène was also a passionate advocate for women in science and a pioneer in bringing scientific research into public health and national policy.

Marguerite Perey

Marguerite Perey worked as an assistant to Marie Curie, she went on to discover francium in 1939, the last naturally occurring element to be found. It was a landmark achievement in nuclear chemistry and confirmed the structure of the periodic table. 

Perey later became the first woman elected to the French Academy of Sciences, breaking a barrier that had stood for centuries. Her discovery remains a key part of atomic science, and adding her name to the Eiffel Tower would be a tribute to a scientist who reshaped our understanding of the elements themselves.