‘Galloping Gertie:’ Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsed 83 years ago

November 7, 2023 marks 83 years since the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse.

The span nicknamed "Galloping Gertie" was rocked by a windstorm just four months after opening to traffic.

It snapped and crashed into the Narrows.

One car was left on the bridge. The man inside escaped, but his dog did not.

The $6 million bridge was considered State of the art, but a Washington University professor warned they should have cut holes through the solid girders - to let the wind pass through. 

7th November 1940: Tacoma Narrows suspension bridge, in Puget Sound, Washington, vibrating violently just prior to its collapse due to hurricane winds causing a violent oscillating motion known as 'flutter'. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)