A lightning strikes the Eiffel Tower – level 1

A lightning strikes the Eiffel Tower

02-07-2026 07:00

A big summer storm brings thunder and bright lightning to Paris. During this storm, lightning hits the Eiffel Tower. Many people see it and take beautiful photos.

Visitors inside the tower are safe. They do not feel anything. Gustave Eiffel has a plan for this in 1889. The tower has nine long pieces of special metal and long copper lines. These lines take the electricity down into the ground.

Today, scientists use the tower to study storms and weather. Experts say that it is beautiful to watch the lightning, but people should look from a safe place far away.

Difficult words: thunder (the loud sound which you hear in the sky during a storm), lightning (a bright flash of electricity which moves in the sky between clouds or from a cloud to the ground), copper (a soft, reddish-brown metal).

You can watch the original video in the Level 3 section.

How do the tower's nine long pieces of special metal and long copper lines keep visitors safe when lightning strikes?

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