On this date in 1940, one of the most spectacular bridge collapses in U.S. history occurred in Western Washington.
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge, nicknamed "Galloping Gertie," fell into the sound during a windstorm on November 7, 1940. The bridge's collapse was a lesson in poor design and engineering.
Luckily, no was killed or seriously hurt in the incident. One dog did die.
According to HistoryLink, the bridge had been wobbling during construction. Workers even took to sucking on lemons to counteract seasickness. They nicknamed the bridge "Galloping Gertie."
Cameras used to document the bridge's undulations eventually captured its collapse.
The last car to attempt the crossing on that day belonged to local reporter Leonard Coatsworth
His account of what happened from Tacoma Narrows Bridge Information Center:
"Just as I drove past the towers, the bridge began to sway violently from side to side. Before I realized it, the tilt became so violent that I lost control of the car... I jammed on the brakes and got out, only to be thrown onto my face against the curb. Around me I could hear concrete cracking. I started to get my dog Tubby, but was thrown again before I could reach the car. The car itself began to slide from side to side of the roadway. On hands and knees most of the time, I crawled 500 yards or more to the towers... My breath was coming in gasps; my knees were raw and bleeding, my hands bruised and swollen from gripping the concrete curb... Toward the last, I risked rising to my feet and running a few yards at a time... Safely back at the toll plaza, I saw the bridge in its final collapse and saw my car plunge into the Narrows."
A UW civil-engineering professor who had been monitoring the bridge attempted to rescue Tubby, but the terrified dog bit him and he got clear of the bridge just in time.
The car with Tubby inside plunged into the Sound when the bridge crashed down. He was the only fatality.
The cause of the bridge failure was determined to be the solid girders, which took wind and acted like sails. Also, the bridge was not stiff or heavy enough to withstand the wind of the Narrows.
The second Tacoma Narrows Bridge was built in 1950.
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