Discover the Secrets: Top 12 Fun Facts About the Brooklyn Bridge You Never Knew!

1. Once Upon a 1883 Skyline

Once upon an 1883 skyline, when New York City let down its tower-long tresses for a bridge to bridge the gap of Gotham: the Brooklyn Bridge sprouted up! Now a National Historic Landmark, this stunning cradle of cables debuted as the world's longest suspension bridge, boasting 1,595 glorious feet. Balancing the gravity of its historical significance with the weight of around 120,000 vehicles and 4,000 pedestrians daily, the Brooklyn Bride is still keeping it safe and steady through time's renovations and restorations.
Source => dailyscript.com

2. An Almost Egyptian Wonder

It's no pyramid scheme, but the Brooklyn Bridge almost became an architectural wonder of the Nile: Designed by John Augustus Roebling, this Big Apple icon was initially planned to flaunt colossal Egyptian-style towers. However, budget woes led to a style swap, culminating in the neo-gothic masterpiece we know and love today: Pointed arches and intricate details give a vintage vibe to one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States, proving that when it comes to New York City, there's always room for a touch of creative improvisation.
Source => manhattanunlocked.blogspot.com

Did you know the Golden Gate Bridge's iconic orange color was chosen to blend in with nature? Discover the surprising reason behind this bold hue in our fun facts! 🌉🍊

=> Fun Facts about The-Golden-Gate-Bridge

3. Top Hat-Tipping Opening Day

Step right up, ladies and gents, for the grand unveiling of the 19th-century's architectural marvel – a bridge so stupendous, it'll knock your top hat off: On May 24, 1883, the New York and Brooklyn Bridge officially opened its majestic arms to the public, with President Chester A. Arthur and various state Governors in attendance. Over 14,000 pedestrians braved the incomplete structure (with only one side open) to claim their part in history on that monumental day.
Source => gutenberg.org

4. Emily Roebling: Steel Superhero

"Step aside, Iron Man: Emily Warren Roebling was the original superhero of steel, and her power wasn't a fancy suit but her dedication to completing the Brooklyn Bridge": Emily, the wife of the bridge's chief engineer, learned the ins and outs of the technical aspects, guided the workers, and essentially became an unofficial project manager while her husband was ill, earning respect and admiration from their peers; she even rode across the newly finished bridge in an open carriage on its opening day, a testament to her unparalleled devotion and accomplishments.
Source => awb.com

5. Bridge's Hobbies: Diving & Camouflage

Who says bridges can't have hobbies? The Brooklyn Bridge, for instance, spent its free time moonlighting as a diving board for daring jumpers and playing dress-up in camouflage during World War II: In 1912, Steve Brodie famously claimed to have survived a jump off the bridge, inspiring a slew of imitators, while during the war, the bridge donned netting to help it stay incognito and safe from air attacks.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

6. America's First Steel-Wire Bridge

Hold on to your knickers, ladies and gentlemen, for I shall unravel a wonder from ye olde world of American steel and gumption: The Brooklyn Bridge, built in 1883, was the first majestic steel-wire suspension bridge, taunting gravity with its ingenious two-tower design, and taking a whopping 14 years to proudly emerge as an icon of American brilliance.
Source => bridgemastersinc.com

7. Exclusive Gold Card Memberships

If the Brooklyn Bridge were a member of an elite club, it would be flashing two exclusive gold cards: the National Historic Landmark Membership and the National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark Subscription, with hefty bragging rights and an Ivy League degree in engineering marvels: Specifically, it snagged these prestigious titles in 1964 and 1972, respectively, for being an iconic symbol of New York City and a pioneer in American engineering.
Source => nyc.gov

8. Easing Fears with a 1884 Parade

Back in the 1880s, the Brooklyn Bridge was the place to be for the acrophobic, claustrophobic, and technophobic alike: To ease the citizens' fear of their new bridge collapsing under the weight of heavy traffic, in 1884 a grand parade was organized featuring marching bands, politicians, and a cannon salute which gathered over 10,000 people and successfully dispelled apprehensions about the bridge's safety.
Source => architecturaldigest.com

9. Temperature-Induced Mood Swings

Talk about mood swings: the Brooklyn Bridge actually rises and falls with the temperature! This iconic New York landmark endures a daily dance of expansion and contraction, thanks to its meticulously designed steel cables. Comprised of 19 strands and 278 individual wires each, these hardworking cables took two years to complete and are the backbone of the bridge's famed appearance.
Source => businessinsider.com

10. Spider-Man's Bridge-Building Descendant

When he's not superhero-ing around the city like the real-life Spider-Man of New York's past, Kriss Roebling just so happens to double as a bridge-builder descendant and tour guide extraordinaire: As the great-great-great-grandson of John Roebling, the designer of the Brooklyn Bridge, and great-great-grandson of Washington and Emily Roebling who oversaw its construction, Kriss offers guided tours of the famous bridge peppered with treasured family stories and insights, adding a personal touch to the historical icon's legacy.
Source => ny1.com

11. Underwater Dance Floor Dangers

Before fancy dive bars, the Brooklyn Bridge had its own unique kind of underwater fun: employing workers to get down and diggy with its pressurized pneumatic caissons! This groovy submerged dance floor led to the tragic trend of the "caisson disease": a condition now known as decompression sickness, which sadly left Washington Roebling, the bridge's chief engineer, and many others impaired or killed during the bridge's construction.
Source => loc.gov

12. Proving Critics Wrong Since 1883

When the Brooklyn Bridge auditioned for its role in spanning water, the critics called it a washed-up wannabe, urging it to take a long walk off a short structure: Today, this once-mocked marvel stands strong as a testament to John A. Roebling's ingenuity, who created innovative engineering techniques to prove his skeptics wrong, making the bridge an iconic New York City landmark with thousands of visitors streaming across it every year.
Source => nyc.gov