Stonewall Jackson (@1776Stonewall)

History Tidbit, 1933 - Construction of The Golden Gate Bridge: It was always considered impossible to build a bridge in this location. The location is the Golden Gate strait - a mile-wide channel that connects the San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. One of the big challenges was how treacherous the waters are. Many of Northern California's waterways and mountain slopes run into the San Francisco Bay through the channel, making the water extremely fast flowing and hazardous. On top of that, there are extremely high winds to deal with. Until the completion of the bridge the only way to cross the channel was by ferry. But with the growing population of San Francisco, and of course the growing use of automobiles, ferries simply weren't a quick enough way to deal with the amount of traffic. 123,000 ferry trips were made annually across the channel. The need for a bridge became unavoidable, but still, many thought it was impossible. Not only was it over a mile wide with treacherous waters, but the strait is also nearly 400 feet deep. The city then turned to renowned structural engineer Joseph Strauss to see if it was possible. Strauss solicited input from other engineers as well, including Leon Moisseiff, Charles Alton Ellis, and architect Irving Morrow, who ended up being the lead Designer. Because of the dangers of the build, a safety net was installed during construction, which was suspended under the floor of the bridge and extended 10 feet wider than the bridge's width and 15 feet longer than its length. The net turned out to be a lifesaver, as 19 men's lives were saved by it, as they otherwise would've fallen to their deaths. Those men became known as members of the "Half-Way-to-Hell Club. Despite this 11 men did unfortunately perish during the bridge's construction. During construction, in June 1935, an earthquake hit the bridge as men were working atop the bridge's unfinished south tower. The tower swayed 16 feet each way. as about a dozen men were on top with no way to get down. The bridge was built to withstand 90 mph winds and an 8.0 Earthquake. Workers on the bridge earned between $4-$11 per day. The orange color of the bridge was not the original idea. The U.S. Navy had actually lobbied that the bridge be painted blue with yellow stripes, to make it extra visible, especially during heavy fog. But when the steel arrived it was painted with a burnt red primer. The designers and builders liked it and felt it was even more visible and Aesthetically pleasing. The total length of the bridge is 1.7 miles and 90 feet wide, and the bridge weighs just under 900,000 tons. 2 main cables pass over the 2 main towers. There is 80,000 miles of wire inside of the cables - long enough to circle the Earth 3 times. Each tower weighs 44,000 tons and each has about 600,000 rivets. 389,000 cubic yards of concrete was used, enough concrete to build a 5-foot-wide sidewalk from San Francisco to New York. The total cost of construction was $35 Million - About $700 Million in today's money. For 27 years it was the longest suspension bridge in the world - Beating the previous record by 700 feet - New York's George Washington Bridge. New York eventually took the record back with the Verrazano Bridge in 1964. Today that record is held by the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan, at nearly 2.5 miles long. The Golden Gate Bridge officially opened to traffic on May 27, 1937. 200,000 people attended the opening day celebration. The original toll fee was 50 cents each way. Today the toll is $9.50. 112,000 vehicles cross the Golden Gate Bridge every day