San Francisco, California, USA
1933 - January 5 - Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge begins in San Francisco Bay.

Before the project began, many people thought building the bridge was impossible. And when the construction started, most thought that dozens would die in the process. The rule of thumb at the time was that for every million dollars spent on a project, one person would die — and the Golden Gate Bridge was going to cost $37 million.

At first, those fears seemed to be proved unfounded. On Jan. 5, 1933, construction began — and it continued without a single fatality for four years. (www.npr.org)


Construction of the bridge began in 1932, during the Great Depression, when jobs were scarce. The men working on the Golden Gate Bridge (a four-and-a-half-year project) were greatly envied, even though they worked in very dangerous conditions, balancing high above the freezing ocean waters.

To combat the dangerous working conditions, bridge designer Joseph Strauss introduced the hard hat and a safety net that stretched end to end under the bridge. Nineteen workers fell. Saved by that net, they called themselves the Half-Way-to-Hell Club.

www.americaslibrary.gov

January 5, 1933

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