Eiffel tower and Holts

The Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is a three-story iron tower in Paris, France. Engineer Gustave Eiffel designed it for the International Exhibition of Paris of 1889 in honor of the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.

The tower is 1,063 feet high and weighs 10,000 tons! At the very top of the tower is a 79-foot antenna which, since the beginning of the 20th century, has been used for sending radio signals. The tower was almost torn down in 1909 but was saved because its antenna was used for telegraphy.

More than 200 million people have visited the tower to enjoy the spectacular view of Paris from the top.

American Family Arrested in Paris

Members of a Milwaukee family, the Holts, were arrested in Paris last week when they attempted to climb the outside of the Eiffel Tower. Dressed in identical purple tracksuits with matching berets, Eisenhower and Mary-Todd Holt and their three children used the “urban climbing” technique to scale the tower. They were seized by security guards shortly before they reached the top.
Tourist Marcia Euclid witnessed the odd spectacle: “I wasn’t sure why they wanted to climb up the tower rather than taking the stairs. I don’t think it was just for fun, because they were hauling a ton of equipment with them—metal detectors, binoculars, and a tool box!”
The Holts were released the next day and escorted out of the country. In response to the incident and other strange occurrences around the tower, the French government has heightened security and installed new surveillance cameras near the site. Security Director Jean-Luc Mollet explains: “There has been a surge in attempts to climb the tower. It may be a new fad or an initiation ritual of some kind. We are investigating the matter.”

(something's fishy about it. Could there be a clue up there?)