A project aimed at rectifying a historical omission has taken a new step forward. The City of Paris, the Eiffel Tower Operating Company, and the Women & Science association have unveiled the list of 72 female scientists whose names could be engraved in gold letters on the iconic monument, alongside the 72 men whose names have already appeared on the frieze of the first floor since 1889.
Since the construction of the Eiffel Tower for the 1889 Universal Exposition, Gustave Eiffel had 72 names of French scientists, all men, inscribed on it in homage to the scientific contributions of the French Revolution during his time. These inscriptions, in 60 cm high gold letters, disappeared in the mid-20th century before being restored in the 1980s and then repainted.
A selection representing three centuries of contributions
The unveiled list covers nearly 250 years of scientific history, from the 18th-century obstetrician Angélique du Coudray to recently deceased contemporary specialists. It includes French figures as well as women who worked in France, such as the Japanese physicist Toshiko Yuasa, renowned for her work in nuclear physics and her contribution to Franco-Japanese scientific cooperation.
Among the proposed names are personalities who have made their mark on their disciplines, such as Marie Curie, double Nobel laureate in physics and chemistry, and Sophie Germain, a mathematician whose work has influenced technical fields such as the theory of elasticity.
The selection, developed by a committee of experts including representatives from the CNRS, INSERM, INRIA and the Paris Observatory, sought to represent diverse disciplines such as physics, chemistry, mathematics, earth sciences, biology and engineering.
From symbol to official tribute: the next steps
This project, launched in March 2025 with the creation of a scientific committee co-chaired by Isabelle Vauglin, astrophysicist and vice-president of the Women & Science association, and Jean-François Martins, president of SETE, aims to correct what some historians call the "Matilda effect", namely the systemic minimization of women's contributions to science.
The list of 72 female scientists was submitted to Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, who specified that it would be reviewed by the Academies of Sciences, Technologies, and Medicine before official approval. Once this step is completed, the names will be engraved on a frieze above the existing one, respecting the same heritage and aesthetic standards as the historical inscriptions.
When asked about the objective of this project, a committee official stressed that the initiative seeks to celebrate the contribution of women to science and to inspire future generations, while integrating a heritage dimension into a monument visited each year by millions of visitors.
A turning point in the scientific history of the Eiffel Tower
The aim of this initiative is to recognize the long-neglected contributions of women in science. It follows previous initiatives that initially proposed a list of 40 female scientists, but which were expanded to 72 names to reflect the extent of female contributions and ensure symbolic parity with the male names that have been present for over a century.
If these proposals are approved, the Eiffel Tower, a universal symbol of progress and technological innovation, will now give way to a more complete representation of the history of science.
Here is the list of the 72 women honored:
Denise Albe-Fessard (neurophysiologist)
Yvette Amice (mathematician)
Jeanne Baret (botanist, explorer)
Denise Barthomeuf (materials chemist)
Madeleine Brès (doctor)
Simonne Caillère (geologist, mineralogist)
Yvette Cauchois (physical chemist)
Edmée Chandon (astronomer)
Yvonne Choquet-Bruhat (physicist, mathematician)
Marthe Condat (doctor)
Anita Conti (oceanographer)
Eugenie Cotton (physicist)
Radhia Cousot (computer scientist)
Odile Croissant (physicist, biologist)
Marie Curie (physicist)
Augusta Déjérine (neurologist)
Henriette Delamarre (geologist, paleontologist)
Georgette Délibrias (physicist)
Nathalie Demassieux (chemist)
Rose Dieng (computer scientist)
Angélique Du Coudray (obstetrician)
Louise Du Pierry (astronomer)
Marie-Louise Dubreil-Jacotin (mathematician)
Jacqueline Ferrand (mathematician)
Jacqueline Ficini (chemist)
Rosalind Franklin (physical chemist)
Marthe Gautier (medical biologist)
Sophie Germain (mathematician)
Marianne Grunberg-Manago (biochemist)
Jeanne Guiot (engineer)
Geneviève Guitel (mathematician)
Sébastienne Guyot (aeronautical engineer)
Claudine Hermann (physicist)
Andrée Hoppilliard (aeronautical engineer)
Irène Joliot-Curie (chemist)
Geneviève Jourdain (computer engineer)
Dorothea Klumpke (astronomer)
Lydie Koch (physicist)
Colette Kréder (engineer)
Nicole Laroche (engineer)
Cornélie Lebon-de Brambilla (engineer)
Yolande Le Calvez (geologist, paleontologist)
Paulette Libermann (mathematician)
Nicole Mangin (doctor)
Henriette Mathieu‑Faraggi (physicist)
Cécile Morette (physicist)
Edith Mourier (mathematician)
Ethel Moustacchi (biochemist)
Suzanne Noël (surgeon)
Yvonne Odic (mechanical engineer)
Isabelle Olivieri (agricultural engineer, biologist)
Marie-Louise Paris (engineer)
Marguerite Perey (radiochemist)
Claudine Picardet (chemist)
Alberte Pullman (chemist)
Pauline Ramart (chemist)
Lucie Randoin (nutritionist and chemist)
Alice Recoque (computer engineer)
Michelle Schatzman (mathematician)
Anne-Marcelle Schrameck (chemical engineer)
Marie-Hélène Schwartz (mathematician)
Josiane Serre (chemist)
Alice Sollier (psychiatrist)
Hélène Sparrow (biologist, physician)
Bianca Tchoubar (chemist)
Marie-Antoinette Tonnelat (theoretical physicist)
Thérèse Tréfouël (chemist)
Agnès Ullmann (molecular biologist)
Arlette Vassy (atmospheric physicist)
Suzanne Veil (chemical engineer)
Jeanne Villepreux-Power (naturalist)
Toshiko Yuasa (theoretical physicist)
