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!”
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May 27, 2008
Can We Really Hear From God?
Be still, and know that I am God. —Psalm 46:10
A friend of mine who leads spiritual retreats once told me that not one person who has followed his regimen of a silent retreat has failed to hear from God. Intrigued and a bit skeptical, I signed up for a 5-day retreat. We had much free time and just a few requirements, such as the assignment to spend 2 hours praying each day.
I doubt I had devoted more than 30 minutes to prayer at any one session in my life. The first day I wandered to a meadow and sat against a tree. How long will I stay awake? I wondered. To my great fortune, a herd of 147 elk wandered into the very field where I was sitting. To watch 147 elk in their natural habitat is enthralling and, eventually, boring. Yet after a while the very placidity of the scene began to affect me. Over the next few days I said many words to God. I was turning 50, and I asked for guidance on how I should prepare my soul for the rest of life. Many things came to mind while sitting in a field for hours at a time. I had to agree that I had indeed heard from God.
When Elijah stood before the Lord on Mount Horeb, he didn’t meet Him in the wind, earthquake, or fire. Rather, God spoke in a “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:11-12).
I’m more convinced than ever that God finds ways to communicate to those who truly seek Him—especially when we lower the volume of the surrounding static.
Speak, Lord, in the stillness, while I wait on Thee;
Hushed my heart to listen, in expectancy. —Grimes
© 1951 Singspiration, Inc.
