Golden Gate Bridge

May 27, 1937

The Golden Gate Bridge connecting San Francisco, California to Marin County (the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula) opens. At that time, San Francisco was the largest American city still served primarily by ferry boats. Many experts believed that a bridge could not be built across the 6,700 ft (2,042 m) strait, because of strong swirling tides, heavy currents, high winds, and blinding fogs that would prevent construction.