Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapsed
1940
After
it opened in July 1940, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington State earned
the nickname "Galloping Gertie," because its flexible design
allowed the roadway to literally ripple in the wind. But when gusts reaching
over 40 mph began buffeting the bridge on November 7 of that year, its motion
suddenly changed. Instead of rippling, the road started to twist. Concrete
cracked, cables frayed, and, after only four
months of service, the
span collapsed. In response to the failure, which fortunately killed no
one, engineers stiffened
the supportive posts of California's Golden Gate Bridge and decreased the
flexibility of later suspension-bridge designs.
