Facts About The Brooklyn Bridge You Didn’t Know
Little is known about the amazing bridge that connects Brooklyn and Manhattan over the East River.
John Augustus Roebling, a renowned German engineer, is credited with designing some of the famous structures like the Brooklyn Bridge, the Allegheny River Aqueduct, The Monongahela River Suspension Bridge, and the Cincinnati – Covington Bridge. Brooklyn Bridge was inaugurated on May 24, 1883 and on the inauguration day Chester A. Arthur, the then 1st President and Franklin Edson, the then mayor of New York reached Brooklyn from Manhattan by traveling on the newly opened bridge where they were warmly received by the mayor and people of Brooklyn.
The first person to cross the bridge was Emily Roebling, the daughter-in-law of John Augustus Roebling. She played a major part in the construction of the bridge by overseeing the bridge due to the death of her father-in-law and a sickness that made her husband, Washington Roebling, his son, unable to do the job. She spent 11 years supervising the bridge’s construction, assisted by her husband.
The suspension bridge spanning 1,596 feet took 13 years to be built, and cost 15 million dollars. Originally thought to be called the New York and Brooklyn Bridge the name was changed after the editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle nicknamed it the “Brooklyn Bridge”. In 1915 the name was made official by the city government.
Many a great things happened on the Brooklyn Bridge though it had not got noticed till date. On May 30, 1883, 12 people were crushed to death in a massive stampede, after the rumors spread that the bridge was unstable. On May 17, 1884, the famous Circus ringleader P. T. Barnum, who heard about the news, proved the rumors of the bridges stability wrong by crossing the bridge with his most famous attraction Jumbo who led a parade of 21 elephants over the Brooklyn Bridge. This act not only crushed the rumor but also gave him wide spread publicity for his famous circus.
Aside from the 12 people that died in the stampede, 27 people died during the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge has been the longest steel wire suspension bridge in the world till 1903 when The Williamsburg Bridge surpassed Brooklyn Bridge’s length by 4 feet.
Till today the Brooklyn Bridge and its Gothic theme play a vital role in the alluring beauty of the city. You can view the Brooklyn Bridge in movies ranging from “I Am Legend”, “Deep Impact”, “Godzilla”, and my personal favorite “Enchanted”. The skyline of the Brooklyn Bridge re-ensures the popularity of the city that never sleeps and it’s another reason innumerable people from all over the world visit Brooklyn to take a leisurely walk on the national landmark.
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