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June 23, 1980 [12] Designated NYCL. August 24, 1967 [2] Location. The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed / suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River.
- 1,595.5 ft (486.3 m)
- 6,016 ft (1,833.7 m; 1.1 mi)
- May 24, 1883; 140 years ago
- East River
- About the Brooklyn Bridge. The Brooklyn Bridge is a 1.1 mile (1.7 km) long suspension bridge that connects Manhattan and – yep, you guessed it – Brooklyn.
- How long does it take to walk the Brooklyn Bridge? Walking. It took us about 45 minutes to cross the Brooklyn Bridge one-way at a leisurely pace. However, it could easily take you 60 minutes if you want to take a ton of photos and maybe stop at one of the food vendors to buy a hot dog or a pretzel.
- When is the best time to walk the Brooklyn Bridge? You can enjoy walking the Brooklyn Bridge all year round, but the best time of day does vary according to the time of year.
- Where is the entrance to walk the Brooklyn Bridge? In Manhattan. If you’re walking the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan, there are two entrances. The official start point of the pedestrian walkway is on Center Street at Living Memorial Grove.
- Boss Tweed Helped Get The Project started.
- At Least 20 People Died During The Bridge’s Construction.
- It Was The Longest Suspension Bridge in The World—By far.
- The Bridge Opened with A Massive Celebration.
- A Tragedy occurred Almost immediately.
- The Bridge Toll Was Higher Than It Is now.
- At The Time, The Bridge Connected Two Different Cities.
- The Bridge Quickly Became A Cultural Sensation.
- The Bridge Has Always Attracted Daredevils and Showmen.
- Peregrine Falcons Nest Atop it.
William M. “Boss” Tweed, the infamously corrupt head of New York City’s Tammany Hall political machine, latched on to the Brooklyn Bridgeproject from the very beginning. According to sworn testimony, he gave later, he facilitated up to $65,000 in bribes to New York’s aldermen in order to win their backing for a $1.5 million bond issue. He then beca...
The first fatality came in 1869 before construction had even begun. German-born John A. Roebling, who designed the bridge, was taking compass readings one afternoon when his foot was crushed between some pilings and a boat. His toes were amputated, and a few weeks later he died of tetanus. Other workers fell off the 276-foot-high towers, were hit b...
A few high-profile collapses in the first half of the 19th century prevented suspension bridges from immediately catching on. Undeterred, Roebling figured out how to stabilize them, largely by adding a web truss to either side of the roadway platform. He built four suspension bridges in the 1850s and 1860s, including one over the Ohio River and ano...
Huge crowds gathered on May 24, 1883, to watch the bridge’s opening ceremony, which The New York Times described, in reference to Brooklyn, as “the greatest gala day in the history of that moral suburb.” President Chester A. Arthur, New York Governor (and future president) Grover Cleveland and various local politicians marched onto the bridge, acco...
A week after the opening, on Memorial Day, an estimated 20,000 people were on the bridge when panic started, allegedly over a rumor that it was about to collapse. Twelve people were crushed to death on a narrow stairway, and others emerged bloodied and in some cases without clothes. One eyewitness described men and women “with their limbs contorted...
When the Brooklyn Bridge first opened, it cost a penny to cross by foot, 5 cents for a horse and rider and 10 cents for a horse and wagon. Farm animals were allowed at a price of 5 cents per cow and 2 cents per sheep or hog. Under pressure from civic groups and commuters, the pedestrian toll was repealed in 1891. The roadway tolls were then rescind...
Brooklyn did not become part of New York City until 1898, following a referendum that passed there by just 277 votes (out of more than 129,000 cast). Prior to the merger, it was the fourth most populous city in the country—behind only New York, Chicago and Philadelphia—with loads of manufacturing jobs, many churches, relatively low crime and good s...
The Brooklyn Bridge has arguably inspired more art than any other manmade structure in the United States. Georgia O’Keeffe, Andy Warhol and dozens of other well-known painters have incorporated it into their works, as have photographers (Walker Evans); documentarians (Ken Burns); playwrights (Arthur Miller); novelists (Henry Miller); newspaper colu...
Circus entertainer P.T. Barnum took 21 elephants over the bridge in May 1884 to show that it was safe. The following year, Robert E. Odlum, a swimming instructor from Washington, D.C., became the first to leap into the East River below. He died, but a number of later jumpers survived, including one man allegedly trying to impress his girlfriend and...
Peregrine falcons are the fastest animals on record, capable of reaching speeds over 200 miles per hour. They disappeared from the eastern United States due to DDT poisoning but made a comeback after the pesticide was banned in 1972. Surprisingly, the birds soon began thriving in New York City, where they nest on bridges, church steeples and skyscr...
- Jesse Greenspan
Apr 19, 2024 · Brooklyn Bridge, suspension bridge spanning the East River from Brooklyn to Manhattan in New York City. A brilliant feat of 19th-century engineering, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first bridge to use steel for cable wire, and during its construction explosives were used inside a pneumatic caisson for the first time.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Mar 22, 2010 · The Man with the Plan . John Augustus Roebling, the Brooklyn Bridge’s creator, was a great pioneer in the design of steel suspension bridges. Born in Germany in 1806, he studied industrial ...
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The Brooklyn Bridge was designed by John A. Roebling. Construction began in 1869 and was completed in 1883. At the time, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. The Brooklyn Bridge connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River. Because of the elevation of the span above the East River and the relatively ...
Nov 27, 2021 · "The bridge was very much cutting edge in so many of its aspects," Richman told CBS News' Michelle Miller. John Roebling, who was well known for building suspension bridges in other parts of the ...
