F I R S TP R E V542NEXTLAST

Fort Point, as seen from the Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge offers many breathtaking views of San Francisco, the Bay and the Pacific Ocean. So when the bridge celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1987 event planners expected a huge gathering of around 300,000 people to attend the festivities. Instead over 800,000 crowded across the span. With a half million unexpected guests the event took on a life of its own, the scheduled activities such as marching bands and parades were abandoned due to the masses. The bridge's natural arch actually sagged under the weight of the hundreds of thousands of attendees. But true to the affection shown it held fast and strong, supporting the huge crowd, even after the celebration moved on to the Marina Green for the anniversary fireworks show. On May 24 of this year the bridge will celebrate its 70th birthday.
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