Golden Gate Bridge

Until little Roscoe Bartlett was ten years old, the quickest way from San Francisco to Marin County was by ferry boat. That was the year, in 1937, that the Golden Gate Bridge opened. At the time, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Joseph Strauss, whose statue stands near the bridge, is credited as the Chief Engineer of the project, but in fact, much of the calculations and design were the product of Charles Ellis, who didn't even have an engineering degree. The failure of supports on the southern approach to the bridge was thought to have brought the entire structure close to collapse. A seismic retrofit of the bridge has begun to strengthen the bridge in the event of a catastrophic earthquake, but the project will not be completed until 2012.

Like the Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge has become a favorite site for suicides. Over a thousand people have jumped from the bridge; only 26 have survived. The only person to have made the jump without serious injury was a 16-year-old who landed on his butt. When he swam to shore, he said, "I can't do anything right".

Permalink