Facts About The Brooklyn Bridge - New York City

The Brooklyn Bridge is a bridge in New York City and is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States.  It was the longest suspension bridge in the world from its opening on May 24, 1883 until 1903. It was Originally referred to as the New York and Brooklyn Bridge. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964. Designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1972. It is maintained by New York City Department of Transportation. Brooklyn Bridge crosses the East River and carries Cars, Elevated trains (until 1944) Streetcars (until 1950) Pedestrians and bicycles.  The Brooklyn Bridge officially opened to the public on May 24, 1883. Con man William McCloundy was sentenced to 2.5 years at Sing Sing Prison for "selling" the Brooklyn Bridge to a tourist in 1901.  On its first day open to the public, 1,800 vehicles and 150,300 people crossed this icon. In a rumor  On May 30, 1883 that the bridge was collapsing, at least 12 people were killed in the ensuing panic. 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 original toll for crossing the bridge was one penny. The bridge's cost when it was built was $15.1 million. 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.  The total length is 5,989 feet and width is 85 feet. The longest span has a length of 1,595 feet 6 inches. The bridge weighs 14,680 tons, 6,620 tons of it suspended. German immigrant named John Roebling was the designer of the bridge. He would never get to see the bridge as he died after crushing his foot in an accident during the construction. The most noticeable feature of the Brooklyn Bridge are the two masonry towers to which the many cables are attached.  The towers with large Gothic arches reach a height of 276 ft (84 meters), at the time making them some of the tallest landmarks in New York.