Total Length - 5,989 feet (1825 m)
Width - 85 feet (26 m)
Height - 276.5 ft (84.3 m) above mean high water
The bridge connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River
The bridge's construction was completed in 1883.With a main span of 1,595.5 feet (486.3 m), it was the longest suspension bridge in the world from its opening until 1903, and the first steel-wire suspension bridge
The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge is detailed in the 1978 book The Great Bridge by David McCullough and brooklyn Bridge (1981), the first PBS documentary film ever made by Ken Burns
The Brooklyn Bridge was opened for use on May 24, 1883. The opening ceremony was attended by several thousand people and many ships were present in the East Bay for the occasion. President Chester A Arthur and NY Mayor Franklin Edson crossed the bridge to celebratory cannon fire and were greeted by Brooklyn Mayor Seth Low when they reached the Brooklyn-side tower.
On that first day, a total of 1,800 vehicles and 150,300 people crossed what was then the only land passage between Manhattan and Brooklyn
On May 30, 1883, six days after the opening, a rumor that the Bridge was going to collapse caused a stampede, which was responsible for at least twelve people being crushed and killed
The first person to jump from the bridge was Robert Emmet Odlum , brother of women's rights activist Charlotte Odlum Smith, on May 19, 1885.He struck the water at an angle and died shortly thereafter from internal injuries
The centennial celebrations on May 24, 1983, saw a cavalcade of cars crossing the bridge, led by President Ronald Reagan
Beginning on May 22, 2008, festivities were held over a five-day period to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge.
The bridge was designated -
- National Historic Landmark in 1964
- National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1972
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