Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco – History and Facts behind the Marvel
Before the bridge was built, the access route between San Francisco and Marin County was through the ferry service. In the 1920s, engineer and bridge-builder Joseph Strauss started working on the idea that a bridge should be constructed across the Golden Gate. He spent more than a decade garnering support for its construction.
There were numerous obstructions to construction. Funds were scarce, it being the middle of the Great Depression. There was fierce opposition to the bridge from various lobbies for their vested interests. Experts opined a bridge could never be built there - the area often had winds of up to 60 miles per hour and strong ocean currents swept through a canyon below the surface. Moreover, furious winds and blinding fogs would make construction and operation impossible.
In spite of everything, Strauss persisted, and history was made when San Francisco voters overwhelmingly approved $35 million in bonds to construct the Golden Gate Bridge. Strauss was chief engineer responsible for overall design and construction but the final suspension design was conceived by Leon Moisseiff.
Construction, that began in January 1933, was finished in April 1937 at a cost of $35 million. Strauss pioneered new safety techniques like daily sobriety tests and hard hats. The iconic safety innovation was a net suspended under the floor, which saved the lives of 19 men during construction and became a norm even today.
Still 11 lives were lost when the work was underway, an outstanding feat at a time when it was normal for 1 man to be killed for every million spent in construction. Of the 11 that were killed from falls, 10 died when the net failed under the stress of a fallen scaffold.
And there is history behind its color too which is in orange vermilion, also called international orange. It was originally used as sealant for the bridge but locals persuaded residential architect Irving Morrow to use the dynamic orange color instead of the standard grey or silver. The orange blends with the bridge's beautiful setting and increases visibility during fogs.
More people have committed suicide from the Golden Gate Bridge than any other bridge in the world. It takes approximately 4 seconds to hit the water from the deck which is about 245 feet above the water. The impact trauma kills most jumpers almost instantaneously. In July 2010, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission allocated $5 million for the completion of the final design of the net system, which will hang 20 feet below the bridge, preventing suicides.
History Of The Golden Gate Bridge - News
In spite of everything, Strauss persisted, and history was made when San Francisco voters overwhelmingly approved $35 million in bonds to construct the Golden Gate Bridge. Strauss was chief engineer responsible for overall design and construction but
Beginning in the late 1850s, the company fabricated structural material for a long list of monumental projects, including the Golden Gate Bridge and the Chrysler Building. But by the time I was growing up near Bethlehem in the 1980s, the furnaces stood
Established on June 16, 1961 in San Francisco, the founding members officiated the start of their group by taking a snapshot of their Gull Wings in front of another icon—San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. And on June 11, exactly 50 years after the
The unofficial slogan of classic car owner's clubs around the world may just as well apply to Fort Point, the US military installation at the foot of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Fifty years ago, the Gull Wing Group – a club for owners of
BAY AREA DISCOVERY MUSEUM -- Bay Area Discovery Museum, one-of-a-kind indoor and outdoor facility at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge, Fort Baker, 557 McReynolds Road, Sausalito. Hours: 9 am-4 pm Tuesdays-Fridays and 10 am-5 pm Saturdays-Sundays.
future history of the Golden Gate Bridge | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
≪a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/streamishmc/5503595256/" title="future history of the Golden Gate Bridge by {Guerrilla Futures | Jason Tester}, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5095/5503595256_3d2f99247b.jpg" width="374" height="500" alt="future history of the Golden Gate Bridge"></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/streamishmc/5503595256/" title="future history of the Golden Gate Bridge by {Guerrilla Futures | Jason Tester}, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5095/5503595256_3d2f99247b_t.jpg" width="75" height="100" alt="future history of the Golden Gate Bridge"></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/streamishmc/5503595256/" title="future history of the Golden Gate Bridge by {Guerrilla Futures | Jason Tester}, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5095/5503595256_3d2f99247b_s.jpg" width="75" height="75" alt="future history of the Golden Gate Bridge"></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/streamishmc/5503595256/" title="future history of the Golden Gate Bridge by {Guerrilla Futures | Jason Tester}, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5095/5503595256_3d2f99247b_m.jpg" width="179" height="240" alt="future history of the Golden Gate Bridge"></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/streamishmc/5503595256/" title="future history of the Golden Gate Bridge by {Guerrilla Futures | Jason Tester}, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5095/5503595256_3d2f99247b.jpg" width="374" height="500" alt="future history of the Golden Gate Bridge"></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/streamishmc/5503595256/" title="future history of the Golden Gate Bridge by {Guerrilla Futures | Jason Tester}, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5095/5503595256_3d2f99247b_z.jpg" width="478" height="640" alt="future history of the Golden Gate Bridge"></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.
Dave gives us a History of the Golden Gate Bridge 
Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco – History and Facts behind the Marvel: The Golden Gate Bridge, one of the long... 
Building History - The Golden Gate Bridge: This book traces the history of the construction of the Golden Gate B... History Of The Golden Gate Bridge - Bookshelf
Golden Gate Bridge, history and design of an icon
Provides a readable history of the architectural design, construction, and seventy-year lifespan of the Golden Gate Bridge, as well as the significance of the ...U.S. History Little Books, Famous Places
The Golden Gate Bridge Ever since 1872, different ideas were discussed about building a bridge across the Golden Gate Straight, the entry to the San ...The Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge One of the longest bridges in the world, the Golden Gate Bridge is an important place in US history. The Golden Gate Bridge helps ...The Golden Gate Bridge
Northern California History Weekends
A distinguished bridge builder, Strauss engineered over 400 bridges from Leningrad to New Jersey in his lifelong record. He followed the Golden Gate project ...Day-to-day Information Directory
Golden Gate Bridge - Wikipedia
Overview of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, covering the history, aesthetics, suicides, and media exposure of the famous suspension bridge.
Golden Gate Bridge opens — History.com This Day in History ...
San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, a stunning technological and artistic achievement, opens to the public after five years of construction. On opening day ...
San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge Pictures and History
Visit the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco with pictures and panoramas. History of the Golden Gate Bridge and construction facts.
Construction begins on Golden Gate Bridge — History.com This ...
... construction starts on what will become one of America's most famous landmarks: the Golden Gate Bridge. When completed in 1937, the Golden Gate has a ...
Golden Gate Bridge
Official site of San Francisco's most famous landmark, the Golden Gate Bridge. Site offers news, FasTrak and visitor information, a research library, and photos.