March+20

The Golden Gate Bridge is the most visited and recognized bridge in the world. The idea of blocking the Golden Gate Bay was suggested by a businessman, Charles Crocker at the beginning of 1872. To fulfill this idea a famous architect, Josef Strauss was invited. On June 28, 1921 Strauss submitted his sketches and estimated the cost of the project. The architect convinced the politicians of the project cost-effectiveness and founded investors. It was only on January 5, 1933 that the building of the bridge started and it took four years to complete the construction. Due to joint efforts of Strauss and Irving Morrow the Golden Gate Bridge was triumphantly opened on May 27, 1937 Before opening the bridge, Irving Morrow made up a report in which he indicated the most significant factors determining the lighting of the bridge. He suggested the upper part of the bridge should be less lit. He also wanted to use blinking and other kinds of illumination. However, it was only 50 years after opening the bridge that his lighting scheme was put into practice. Incidentally, it was Morrow who suggested painting the bridge in the orange color instead of the standard grey and black. He chose the color because it matched very well with the setting. Besides, the orange color is highly protective of saline that is in a big concentration in the air in this area. Between 1937 and 1964 The Golden Gate Bridge was the biggest suspension bridge in the world and is twice as long as New York Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge was constructed with a high degree of safety which allowed it to survive a few earthquakes. After one of these, there was introduced a new project, aimed at resisting sever natural disasters. Unfortunately, the Golden Gate Bridge is very popular among suiciders. On average, every two weeks there is someone who commits suicide. Nowadays, there are special telephones placed along the bridge that can be used by suiciders to connect with psychological centers. The Golden Gate Bridge and its lighting is a landmark of the USA and it links the San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean and the south of Marin County.