LIFE - 20 Facts About the Brooklyn Bridge

Down Under the Brooklyn Bridge

Fri, 01 Jan 1960 03:00:00 EST

Fact No. 1: The Brooklyn Bridge officially opened to the public on May 24, 1883.

Bridge to Manhattan

Fri, 01 Mar 1946 03:00:00 EST

Fact No. 2: The bridge was originally called the New York and Brooklyn Bridge. It was officially given the name "Brooklyn Bridge" by the city in 1915.

On the Town

Sat, 01 Jan 1949 02:00:00 EST

Fact No. 3: Con man William McCloundy was sentenced to 2 1/2 years at Sing Sing Prison for "selling" the Brooklyn Bridge to a tourist in 1901. Pictured: Jules Munshin, Frank Sinatra, and Gene Kelly use the bridge as a magnificent stage in Stanley Donen's film, On the Town, in 1949.

Brooklyn Bridge in 1911

Sun, 01 Jan 1911 03:00:00 EST

Fact No. 4: When it opened, the Brooklyn Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world, the first steel-wire suspension bridge, and the first bridge to connect to Long Island.

The Bridge and the City That Never Sleeps

Sun, 07 Nov 1948 02:00:00 EST

Fact No. 5: On its first day open to the public, 1,800 vehicles and 150,300 people crossed the span.

Under the Bridge

Sat, 01 Jan 1955 03:00:00 EST

Fact No. 6: On May 30, 1883, a rumor that the bridge was collapsing spread through the crowds on it, causing a stampede. At least 12 people were killed in the ensuing panic.

Water Under the Bridge

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 03:00:00 EDT

Fact No. 7: On May 17, 1884, showman P. T. Barnum led 21 elephants over the Brooklyn Bridge to prove that it was stable. Pictured: A boat passes the art piece "Waterfalls" in 2008.

Same Bridge, Different New York

Sat, 01 Jun 1946 04:00:00 EDT

Fact No. 8: For several years after its construction, the Brooklyn Bridge was the tallest structure in the Western hemisphere.

Resting on the Brooklyn Bridge

Sat, 01 Jan 1955 03:00:00 EST

Fact No. 9: The first person to cross the bridge was Emily Roebling, the wife of Washington Roebling, the engineer who built the bridge and the son of its designer.

The Web of the Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 03:00:00 EDT

Fact No. 10: Each of the bridge's four supporting cables is 3,578 feet, 6 inches long and 15 1/2 inches thick, and contains 21,000 wires that, combined, would have a total length of 14,060 miles.

The Bridge From the River

Mon, 01 Nov 1937 03:00:00 EST

Fact No. 11: The bridge weighs 14,680 tons, 6,620 tons of it suspended.

Brooklyn Bridge Fly-By

Thu, 14 Jul 1938 04:00:00 EDT

Fact No. 12: The bridge's cost when it was built was $15.1 million. Pictured: Howard Hughes flies a twin-propeller Lockheed 14 Super Electra past the bridge during his bid to circle the globe in four days.

River of Light

Sun, 07 Nov 1948 02:00:00 EST

Fact No. 13: The bridge is 85 feet wide. and has six lanes of traffic. When it opened, it had a roadway for horses and carriages, an elevated pedestrian walkway, and a trolley line.

A Quick Look at the Neighboring Manhattan Bridge

Sat, 01 Aug 1953 03:00:00 EDT

Fact. No. 14: About 78,000 vehicles cross the nearby Manhattan Bridge every weekday. By comparison, an average of 144,000 vehicles cross the Brooklyn Bridge each weekday.

Bridging the Gap

Tue, 01 Jan 1935 03:00:00 EST

Fact No. 15: The Brooklyn Bridge's span measures 1,595 feet, 6 inches. With its approaches, its full length is 6,016 feet.

Brooklyn Bridge, New York's Favorite Span

Fri, 01 Jan 1954 03:00:00 EST

Fact No. 16: There are 85,159 cubic yards of masonry in the bridge.

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge

Fri, 01 Jan 1915 03:00:00 EST

Fact No. 16: The original toll for crossing the bridge was one penny.

Storms Over the Brooklyn Bridge

Fri, 01 Mar 1946 03:00:00 EST

Fact No. 18: The bridge turned out to be a tragedy for the Roebling family. The designer, John Roebling, died from tetanus after a ferry crushed his foot as he was scouting locations for the bridge. His son, Washington Roebling, of Trenton, N.J., fell prey to the bends from his time in caissons laying the foundations for the towers, and became an invalid. Washington's wife, Emily, became the de facto head of construction in his stead.

The Brooklyn Bridge Lights Up

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 03:00:00 EDT

Fact No. 19: The bedrock on the Manhattan side turned out to be much deeper than predicted, so the tower on that side of the bridge rests on sand.

The Brooklyn Bridge Spans Time

Sat, 01 May 1954 03:00:00 EDT

Fact No. 20: The Brooklyn Bridge was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964, after physically joining the island Manhattan and Long Island for 81 years. Click here to check out LIFE's gallery on the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, which began 31 years prior to that.