|
|
 |
|
San
Francisco has had a Golden Gate for a lot longer than
it has had a Golden Gate Bridge. John C. Fremont is credited
with coining the name Golden Gate (Chrysopylae)
in 1846, inspired by the Golden Horn (Chrysoceras)
of Istanbul's Bosphorus Strait, the strait that links
Europe to Asia.
On January 5, 1933, construction commenced on the majestic
bridge that would finally span the Golden Gate. It opened
to vehicular traffic more than four years later, on May
28, 1937. Eleven men lost their lives during construction.
The suspension portion of the Golden Gate Bridge is 4200
feet long (677 feet longer than the suspension portion
of the first Bosphorus Bridge, built in 1973). Neither
golden nor gated, the Golden Gate Bridge is painted "international
orange( 
)." Over 1.7 billion vehicles have crossed its dramatic
span.
Although it may be one of the most photographed sights
in the world, images of the Golden Gate before it had
a bridge, and of the bridge during construction, are every
bit as dramatic as those of the completed span.
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
