1930s: Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge
Work on the Golden Gate bridge began in 1933, and the bridge opened in 1937. Eleven workers died in the process, but another 19 were saved by a giant net slung between the bridges’ two pontoons. The famous red color was originally an undercoat of anti-rust primer, and both the Navy and Army argued for a stripe finish. But an architect working on the project was so enamoured with the primer that he created a 30-page report setting out the logic using red, and red won the day.
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