Sign of the Rat opens with a sketch of the area in Manhattan where Trouble lives. The foreground of that image is dominated by the Brooklyn Bridge. Often used in movies and the subject of a Ken Burns documentary film, this famous structure is the focus of our first question.
Interesting fact – the Brooklyn Bridge wasn’t built by a man. Most of the construction was supervised by a woman. Both John Roebling and his son Washington were injured during early stages of the bridge. After John died, Washington assumed his father’s role. But it was Roebling’s daughter-in-law, Emily Warren Roebling who ultimately supervised completion of the bridge. Her husband, Washington Roebling, remained Chief Engineer on paper. But he was incapacitated by Caisson’s Disease, now called “The Bends” – too rapid decompression from surfacing quickly after being deep underwater. Emily had studied Materials Science, Stress Analysis and the mathematics of Catenary Curves under her husband’s tutelage. (Women in those days weren’t normally allowed to study engineering.) She assumed her husband’s duties and finished the job.
1. Brooklyn Bridge
Category – Science
Composed of steel and granite, the Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883 and was then the longest suspension bridge in the world. This New York landmark crosses the East River, connecting the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. John Roebling designed the bridge and its double-arched towers. It was the first suspension bridge to use steel for its cable wires. This type of bridge is used to span wide rivers, far longer in length than any other kind of bridge.
Question –
· What supports the weight in a suspension bridge?
Assignment – Discover the answer by watching an educational video about the Brooklyn Bridge –
Learn more about suspension bridges on this PBS website –
Click here to research the answer.
See what happened when a suspension bridge wasn’t designed properly. This 1940 Newsreel footage is amazing –
Bonus Question –
· Now, Roebling’s suspension bridge is ranked #76 in length, but it held the title as longest from 1883 until 1903. What is the longest suspension bridge today and where is it located? (Amazing fact – The longest suspension bridge today has a main span four times longer than the Brooklyn Bridge).
Assignment – Discover the answer by clicking below to learn the name of the bridge and its city by checking the website for Explain That Stuff –
Click here to research the answer.