73 Years Ago Today: The Golden Gate Bridge Opened to Cars

We mentioned yesterday that when the Golden Gate Bridge was opened, only pedestrians were allowed to cross, and a series of events were put on as part of a big festival.  Among the 200,000 people who walked the span that first day were a newlywed San Francisco couple who were grandparents of one of our Editors.

The next day — 73 years ago today — it was the cars’ turn.  President Franklin Roosevelt pushed a button (actually a telegraph key) in Washington D.C. to signify that the Bridge was now open to traffic.  The newsreel cameras were rolling (this is before TV was available in homes) so it was a great White House photo op!

Cars paid 50 cents each way to cross the Bridge, a total of $1.00 for the round trip.  Sounds great… until you check with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and discover that $1.00 in 1937 bought what $15.14 buys now!  Please, don’t remind the Bridge District Board about that!