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Pedestrian Day 1937 and 1987 “Then and Then”--Oh, how Pedestrian!

Pedestrian Day, May 27, 1937. Just after the official opening day party strolled across the toll plaza and through a line of flower-bedecked fiesta queens, the man credited with its creation, Joseph Strauss, turned it over to the city with these words, “The Bridge needs neither praise, eulogy, nor encomium. It speaks for itself.”

The Bridge opened in May 1937 with a five day fiesta and the first edition of stuff (Official Programs, buttons, and bows, flags,and a first day cover issued by the Post Office). Two years later, along with the Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate was a symbol of the 1939 World's Fair at Treasure Island.

May 24, 1987. Over 800,000 people walk the Golden Gate Bridge celebrating it's 50th Anniversary. Overall, more than a million revelers found their way to The Bridge's 50th Anniversary festivities, which began shortly after sunrise with a “Bridge Walk” and culminated at nightfall with a pyrotechnic fireworks spectacle. Over 800,000 people crammed onto The Bridge in a surprisingly fog free dawn. Their tremendous weight, the greatest load ever borne by The Bridge, caused the upward bow of the steel deck to flatten. The Bridge's chief engineer, Dan Mohn said, “the flexible structure was in no danger.” Only 50 minor injuries were reported. This included numerous “anxiety attacks” and “fainting” according to the American Red Cross. Opening ceremonies were aborted when the crowd “surged” onto the span at 5:30am.

Did you know that: The Golden Gate Bridge is: 1.7 miles long, 90 feet wide, on average clears the water by 220 feet, and weighs approximately 887,000 tons. One of the most interesting Golden Gate Bridge facts is that only eleven workers died during construction, a new safety record for the time. In the 1930’s the builders expected at least 35 people would die during the construction. One of the bridge's safety innovations was a net suspended under the floor. This net saved 19 men during construction, and they were often referred to as members of the “Halfway to Hell Club!”