The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the most marvels of 19th century engineering and a symbol to see and photograph, as it is one of the most well-known and appreciated bridges in the world
An immense and long work that lasted 14 years and cost 15 million dollars; it was inaugurated in 1883. The construction of this bridge served to connect Manhattan and Brooklyn and it took more than 600 workers to transform 6,740 tons of material into the iconic and enormous wonder of the industrial revolution. The bridge is supported by 4 cables, each 3578 feet (1.09 km) long, 15.5 inches (ca. 39 cm) thick and made with over 21,000 individual strands.
It was the first suspension bridge with steel cables and with its 1595 feet (0.49 km) wide it was the longest suspension bridge of the time, but was barely surpassed by the Williansburg Bridge in 1903, setting a new length record.
The bridge was initially called “New York and Brooklyn Bridge” then it was called “East River Bridge” until its officially name became “Brooklyn Bridge” in 1915.
Over time, the Brooklyn Bridge has become very busy and crowded every day; it is estimated that more than one hundred thousand cars travel through it every day, in addition to more than 4000 pedestrians and 3000 bikes. This crowd is also due to the fact that it is one or the most popular and suggestive places in New York for some souvenir photos.
The original project of the bridge included a shopping arcade that should have been called “Brooklyn Bridge anchorage”, unfortunately it did not have the desired success so it was decided to use the space for variant and different artistic performances, but in 2001 it was closed for safety reasons linked to terrorism.
The vaults under the gallery were once used as a warehouse for wine and champagne and by renting the spaces you could have financial help in financing the bridge.
In 2006, urban workers discovered a Cold War shelter in one of the vaults on the Manhattan side of the bridge, complete with medical equipment, blankets, and over 300,000 packages of (expired) crackers.
Unfortunately, its construction also brought several victims due above all to the imposing construction, which also led the citizens not to totally trust the structure; During Memorial Day in 1883, a woman’s heel got stuck between the planks of the pedestrian area, and she started screaming, leading people around her to believe that the bridge was about to collapse. Panic took over and 12 people lost their lives crushed on the stairs, while many others were injured; for this reason in 1884 Jumbo, a 7-ton elephant and his 20 elephant friends left the circus tent and took a walk from Brooklyn to Manhattan to prove to the citizens that there was nothing to fear and the structure was perfectly solid and stable.
The circus was advertised, the elephants had a great walk in New York, and the townspeople resumed walking across the bridge in complete tranquility…. An incredible story full of American ideas and innovations that help make the “Big Apple” interesting to experience and discover.