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Historical Facts from 1883
The Brooklyn Bridge Opens
Construction began in January 3, 1870. The Brooklyn Bridge was completed thirteen years later and was opened for use on May 24, 1883. On that first day, a total of 1,800 vehicles and 150,300 people crossed. The bridge's main span over the East River is 1,595 feet 6 inches. The bridge cost $15.5 million to build and approximately 27 people died during its construction. A week after the opening, on May 30, a rumor that the Bridge was going to break down caused a stampede which crushed and killed twelve people.
Krakatoa Volcano Erupts
The 1883 eruption ejected more than 25 cubic kilometres of rock, ash, and pumice, and generated the loudest sound historically reported: the cataclysmic explosion was distinctly heard as far away as Perth in Australia approx. 1,930 miles, and the island of Rodrigues near Mauritius approx. 3,000 miles. Near Krakatoa, according to official records, 165 villages and towns were destroyed and 132 seriously damaged, at least 36,417 people died, and many thousands were injured by the eruption, mostly from the tsunamis which followed the explosion.
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