Born on May 27
Golden Gate Bridge Opens
A necklace for San Francisco.
Next: May 27, 2027
Where it comes from
On 27 May 1937 the Golden Gate Bridge opened, and this Story marks the anniversary. For more than a century people had dreamed of spanning the strait at the mouth of San Francisco Bay, and many engineers said it could not be done. Chief engineer Joseph Strauss led the project, and work began on 5 January 1933.
How it's celebrated
There is no public holiday. In San Francisco you can still do what the crowds did in 1937 and walk across: the east pavement is open to walkers every day, and cyclists can cross at any hour. Anywhere else, it is a day to look up the story of a bridge in your own city, and to thank the people who built it.
Did you know
A reporter wrote the next day that 'a necklace of surpassing beauty was placed about the lovely throat of San Francisco'.
Read the full story of Golden Gate Bridge Opens
Star sign
Gemini · May 21 – June 20 · Air sign
Curious and chatty, always with two ideas on the go.