Today is the 78th Anniversary celebration of The Golden Gate Bridge. The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate strait, the mile-wide, three-mile-long channel between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The bridge opened to traffic on May 28, 1937. Here are a few fun facts about the bridge:
- Construction started: 1933
- Total length: 8,980' (2,737 m)
- Elevation: 220' (67 m)
- Architecture firm: Strauss Engineering Corp
- Architects: Joseph Strauss, Charles Alton Ellis, Irving Morrow
- Location: San Francisco, Marin County
According to History.com, here are 6 Things You May Not Know About the Golden Gate Bridge:
1. The military wanted the Golden Gate Bridge to be painted in stripes.
2. The Golden Gate Bridge’s signature color was not intended to be permanent.
3. The Golden Gate Bridge’s original design was universally rejected.
4. The Golden Gate Bridge is the top suicide location in the world.
5. The Golden Gate Bridge had an impressive construction safety record.
6. Local citizens put their own properties up as collateral to finance construction of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Here's a poem by Steve Hancock that pays homage to the Golden Gate Bridge.
The Golden Gate Bridge
by Steve Hancock
Fabricated steel of orange vermilion
Spanning the Golden gate Strait
A milieu backdropp of San Francisco
Of Marin headlands ornate
Cotton wool shrouds of cumbersome fog
Sweep forth from Pacific ocean
Erasing the vista of bridge deck expanse
Like magicians mysterious potion
Infamous towers soar mountain high
Like magnets alluring their prey
Where occasional mortals in suicide
Lose faith in a world gone astray
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