Galloping Gertie

CONFESSION.  Last night I was having trouble sleeping, and as I was drifting in and out of sleep, my brain pulled the phrase "Tacoma Narrows Bridge" out from my subconscious.  It was kinda creepy, but we are staying in Tacoma tonight, and my brain didn't want me to miss out on Galloping Gertie, which I have been on and off obsessed with since learning about it in 11th grade physics with Mr. Hoar.  (His real name).  Now there are two bridges, but originally there was only one, and the towers of the bridge you see on the left are the originals.

Planning and construction on the original suspension bridge began in 1937.  Construction workers, observing the motions of the bridge deck, nick named it "Galloping Gertie."  I pause for a question here.  If it was observed that the bridge was shimming because of side winds, why didn't they try to address the issue before opening it to traffic?  They did open it to traffic on July of 1940, and the bridge collapsed dramatically only 4 months later.  Lessons were learned about forced resonance, wind frequencies matching structure frequencies, and luckily there weren't any (human) fatalities.  RIP Cocker Spaniel.  Because of complications from WWII, the bridge could not be rebuilt until 1950, and the old deck is at the bottom of Puget Sound, where it is now a reef.

Here, see for yourself!