The collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington State, United States. HD Stock Footage
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The collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington State, United States.
Sightseers and several parked cars are seen on one bank of the Tacoma Narrows. They are watching undulations of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, called Galloping Gertie in the State of Washington, United States. Scene shifts to the bridge roadway as vibrations and oscillations increase leading to the total destruction of the the bridge. Pulsating winds blowing through the narrows caused vibrations of the bridge to reach its natural resonance frequency resulting in increased amplitude of oscillations until the structure was destroyed. Leonard Coatsworth, a Tacoma newspaper editor, is seen walking from the bridge near its end after abandoning his car, which is still on the bridge, until it collapses. Location: Washington State United States. Date: November 7, 1940.
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Tacoma | 1940 | Tacoma Narrows Bridge Galloping Gertie Collapse, United States
In November, 1940, the newly completed Tacoma Narrows Bridge, opened barely four months before, swayed and collapsed in a 42 mile-per-hour wind. There were no casualties except a dog trapped in a car stranded on the bridge. A rescue was attempted (by the man with the pipe), but the frightened animal would not leave the car.
Details:
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Country: United States
Town: Tacoma (Washington)
Year: 1940
Date: November 7, 1940
Color: Black and white
Duration: 2min 36sec
The year 1940 in Tacoma:
- July 1 – The first Tacoma Narrows Bridge opens for business, built with an 8-foot (2.4 m) girder and 190 feet (58 m) above the water, as the third longest suspension bridge in the world.
- November 7 – In Tacoma, Washington, the 600-foot (180 m)-long center span of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (known as Galloping Gertie) collapses.
Further Informations:
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Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse Gallopin' Gertie
Watch the amazing Gallopin' Gertie November 7, 1940 film clip.
1940 Tacoma Narrows Bridge
Slender, elegant and graceful, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge stretched like a steel ribbon across Puget Sound in 1940. The third longest suspension span in the world opened on July 1st. Only four months later, the great span's short life ended in disaster. Galloping Gertie, collapsed in a windstorm on November 7,1940.
The bridge became famous as the most dramatic failure in bridge engineering history. Now, it's also one of the world's largest man-made reefs. The sunken remains of Galloping Gertie were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992 to protect her from salvagers.
A dramatic tale of failure and success
The story of the failure of the 1940 Narrows Bridge and the success of the Current Narrows Bridge is a great American saga. When Galloping Gertie splashed into Puget Sound, it created ripple effects across the nation and around the world. The event changed forever how engineers design suspension bridges. Gertie's failure led to the safer suspension spans we use today.
Tacoma Bridge Collapse: The Wobbliest Bridge in the World? (1940) | British Pathé
Was Tacoma Narrows Bridge the wobbliest bridge in the world? Check out this amazing footage of the collapse of the world's third largest suspension bridge (at the time), Tacoma Narrows Bridge, Washington, in 1940. The only casualty was a dog who had been left in a stalled car by its owner.
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Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse (1940)
Footage of the original Tacoma Narrows bridge wobbling and eventually, collapsing from the Stillman Fires Collection.
The 1940 Tacoma Narrows Bridge was the first incarnation of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, a suspension bridge in the U.S. state of Washington that spanned the Tacoma Narrows strait of Puget Sound between Tacoma and the Kitsap Peninsula. It opened to traffic on July 1, 1940, and dramatically collapsed into Puget Sound on November 7 of the same year. At the time of its construction (and its destruction), the bridge was the third longest suspension bridge in the world in terms of main span length, behind the Golden Gate Bridge and the George Washington Bridge.
Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse
Just 4 months following its opening on June 1st 1940, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsed on November 7th 1940.
Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse.
The Fall of then newly constructed Tacoma Narrows Bridge. A Cathedral a couple helicopters and a seaport in Brazil also Fall.
Song: Lucy Fears the Morning Star
Artist: Diablo Swing Orchestra
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1940 TACOMA NARROWS BRIDGE COLLAPSE IN COLOR (SILENT FILM) 19474
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The 1940 Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the first Tacoma Narrows Bridge, was a suspension bridge in the U.S. state of Washington that spanned the Tacoma Narrows strait of Puget Sound between Tacoma and the Kitsap Peninsula. It opened to traffic on July 1, 1940, and dramatically collapsed into Puget Sound on November 7 of the same year. At the time of its construction (and its destruction), the bridge was the third-longest suspension bridge in the world in terms of main span length, behind the Golden Gate Bridge and the George Washington Bridge.
This movie of the collapse of the bridge was recorded on 16mm motion picture film by Barney Elliott, owner of a local camera shop. The film shows Leonard Coatsworth attempting to rescue his dog—without success—and then leaving the bridge. In 1998, The Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. This footage is still shown to engineering, architecture, and physics students as a cautionary tale. Elliott's original films of the construction and collapse of the bridge were shot on 16 mm Kodachrome film, but most copies in circulation are in black and white because newsreels of the day copied the film onto 35 mm black-and-white stock. Most copies in circulation also show the bridge oscillating approximately 50% faster than real time, due to an assumption during conversion that the film was shot at 24 frames per second rather than the actual 16 fps.
Construction on the bridge began in September 1938. From the time the deck was built, it began to move vertically in windy conditions, which led to construction workers giving the bridge the nickname Galloping Gertie. The motion was observed even when the bridge opened to the public. Several measures aimed at stopping the motion were ineffective and the bridge's main span finally collapsed in 40-mile-per-hour (64 km/h) winds the morning of November 7, 1940.
Following the collapse, the United States' involvement in World War II delayed plans to replace the bridge. The portions of the bridge still standing after the collapse, including the towers and cables, were dismantled and sold as scrap metal. Nearly 10 years after the collapse, a new Tacoma Narrows Bridge opened in the same location, using the original bridge's tower pedestals and cable anchorages. The portion of the bridge that fell into the water now serves as an artificial reef.
The bridge's collapse had a lasting effect on science and engineering. In many physics textbooks, the event is presented as an example of elementary forced resonance; the bridge collapsed because normal speed winds produced aeroelastic flutter that matched the bridge's natural frequency.The collapse boosted research into bridge aerodynamics-aeroelastics, which has influenced the designs of all later long-span bridges.
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Tacoma Narrows bridge collapse
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is a pair of twin suspension bridges that span the Tacoma Narrows strait of Puget Sound in Pierce County, Washington. The bridges connects the city of Tacoma with the Kitsap Peninsula and carry State Route 16 (known as Primary State Highway 14 until 1964) over the strait. Historically, the name Tacoma Narrows Bridge has applied to the original bridge nicknamed Galloping Gertie, which opened in July 1940 but collapsed because of aeroelastic flutter four months later, as well as the replacement of the original bridge which opened in 1950 and still stands today as the westbound lanes of the present-day twin bridge complex.
The original Tacoma Narrows Bridge opened on July 1, 1940. It received its nickname Galloping Gertie because of the vertical movement of the deck observed by construction workers during windy conditions. The bridge became known for its pitching deck, and collapsed into Puget Sound the morning of November 7, 1940, under high wind conditions. Engineering issues as well as the United States' involvement in World War II postponed plans to replace the bridge for several years; the replacement bridge was opened on October 14, 1950.
By 1990, population growth and development on the Kitsap Peninsula caused traffic on the bridge to exceed its design capacity; as a result, in 1998 Washington voters approved a measure to support building a parallel bridge. After a series of protests and court battles, construction began in 2002 and the new bridge opened to carry eastbound traffic on July 15, 2007, while the 1950 bridge was reconfigured to carry westbound traffic.
At the time of their construction, both the 1940 and 1950 bridges were the third-longest suspension bridges in the world in terms of main span length, behind the Golden Gate Bridge and George Washington Bridge. The 1950 and 2007 bridges are now the fifth-longest suspension bridge spans in the United States, and the 31st-longest in the world.
Tolls were charged on the bridge for the entire four-month service life of the original span, as well as the first 15 years of the 1950 bridge. In 1965, the bridge's construction bonds plus interest were paid off, and the state ceased toll collection on the bridge. Over 40 years later, tolls were reinstated as part of the financing of the twin span, and are presently collected only from vehicles traveling eastbound.
Tacoma Bridge Collapse (1940)
Full title reads: TACOMA BRIDGE COLLAPSE.
Tacoma Bridge, Washington, United States of America (USA).
Long shot of the opening ceremony of Tacoma bridge. Various shots of the suspension bridge waving with the wind until it finally collapses into the river. Some quite spectacular shots of the bridge being shaken to destruction.
(Mute& Track Negs.)
FILM ID:1063.06
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Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse
Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge was poorly constructed and swayed and bent. This is a pretty sweet video of the bridge collapsing.
Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse
This is a high quality version with commentary made by several eyewitnesses to the brdige collapse.
Tacoma Narrows Bridge (Galloping Gertie) falling. State of washington. Wavering wobbly
The original Tacoma Narrows suspension bridge opened on July 1, 1940. It received its nickname Galloping Gertie because of the vertical movement of the deck observed by construction workers during windy conditions. The bridge became known for its pitching deck, and collapsed into Puget Sound the morning of November 7, 1940, under high wind conditions.
Collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge
The original Tacoma Narrows Bridge stretched 1,810 m (5,940 ft) across a narrow channel of Puget Sound near Tacoma, Washington. After two years of construction, the bridge opened to traffic on July 1, 1940. Four months later the bridge collapsed during a windstorm with gusts that reached 68 km/h (42 mph). The catastrophe was attributed to faulty design. Instead of allowing the wind to pass through, the suspended girders caught the wind, causing the bridge to buck and roll. The structure oscillated violently under the strong gusts, until it finally broke apart and crashed into the water.
Archive Photos
Tacoma Narrows
Re-edit of the Tacoma Narrows bridge disaster with sound and audio. No permission for video, music or sound.
Abandoned Tacoma boat house and Narrows bridge.
Galloping Gertie the Tacoma Bridge
Galloping Gertie the Tacoma Bridge
1940 Tacoma Narrows Bridge Galloping Gertie Opening and Collapse
Reel #: 1204 TC In: 014942 TC Out: 015104
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Keywords
Time: July, November, 1940
Setting: Tacoma, Washington, Tacoma Narrows Bridge, Galloping Gertie,
People: Washington residents,
Objects: Swaying Bridge, 1930s automobiles, bridge collapse,
Subjects: Galloping Gertie
tacoma narrows bridge collapse
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