By: HISTORY.com Editors

1931

George Washington Bridge is dedicated

HISTORY.com Editors

Published: November 13, 2009

Last Updated: May 27, 2025

On October 24, 1931, eight months ahead of schedule, New York governor Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicates the George Washington Bridge over the Hudson River. The 4,760-foot–long suspension bridge, the longest in the world at the time, connected Fort Lee, New Jersey with Washington Heights in New York City. “This will be a highly successful enterprise,” FDR told the assembled crowd at the ceremony. “The great prosperity of the Holland Tunnel and the financial success of other bridges recently opened in this region have proven that not even the hardest times can lessen the tremendous volume of trade and traffic in the greatest of port districts.”

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Workers built the six-lane George Washington Bridge in sections. They carried the pieces to the construction site by rail, then hauled them into the river by boat, then hoisted them into place by crane. Though the bridge was gigantic, engineer Othmar Amman had found a way to make it look light and airy: in place of vertical trusses, he used horizontal plate girders in the roadway to keep the bridge steady. Amman used such strong steel that these plate girders could be relatively thin and as a result, the bridge deck was only 12 feet deep. From a distance, it looked as flimsy as a magic carpet. Meanwhile, thanks to Amman’s sophisticated suspension system, that magic carpet seemed to be floating: The bridge hung from cables made of steel wires–107,000 miles and 28,100 tons of steel wires, to be exact—that were much more delicate-looking than anything anyone had ever seen.

The bridge opened to traffic on October 25, 1931. One year later, it had carried 5 million cars from New York to New Jersey and back again. In 1946, engineers added two lanes to the bridge. In 1958, city officials decided to increase its capacity by 75 percent by adding a six-lane lower level. This deck (the New York Times called it “a masterpiece of traffic engineering,” while other, more waggish observers referred to it as the “Martha Washington”) opened in August 1962.

Today, the George Washington Bridge is one of the world’s busiest bridges.

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on October 24th

1648

Thirty Years’ War ends

The Treaty of Westphalia is signed, ending the Thirty Years’ War and radically shifting the balance of power in Europe. The Thirty Years’ War, a series of wars fought by European nations for various reasons, ignited in 1618 over an attempt by the king of Bohemia (the future Holy Roman emperor Ferdinand II) to impose […]

1861

Western Union completes the first transcontinental telegraph line

On October 24, 1861, workers of the Western Union Telegraph Company link the eastern and western telegraph networks of the nation at Salt Lake City, Utah, completing a transcontinental line that for the first time allows instantaneous communication between Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. Stephen J. Field, chief justice of California, sent the first transcontinental […]

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1901

First barrel ride down Niagara Falls

63-year-old schoolteacher Annie Edson Taylor becomes the first person to take the plunge over Niagara Falls in a barrel. She survived the daring publicity stunt.

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1916

French troops celebrate recapture of Fort Douaumont at Verdun

On October 24, 1916, French troops rejoice after recapturing Fort Douaumont, the preeminent fortress guarding the city of Verdun, under siege by the German army since the previous February. In February 1916, the walls of Verdun were defended by some 500,000 men stationed in two principal fortresses, Fort Douaumont and Fort Vaux. The Germans, commanded […]

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1917

Battle of Caporetto

On October 24, 1917, the Battle of Caporetto (also known as the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo, or the Battle of Karfreit) begins. A combined German and Austro-Hungarian force scored one of the most crushing victories of World War I, decimating the Italian line along the northern stretch of the Isonzo River. By the autumn […]

1921

Unknown Soldier is selected

On October 24, 1921, in the French town of Chalons-sur-Marne, an American sergeant selects the body of the first “Unknown Soldier” to be honored among the approximately 77,000 United States servicemen killed on the Western Front during World War I. According to the official records of the Army Graves Registration Service deposited in the U.S. […]

1:56m read

A helmet hangs on a makeshift wooden cross on the dirt grave of an unknown Canadian soldier, World War I.

1945

The United Nations is born

On October 24, 1945, the United Nations Charter, which was adopted and signed on June 26, 1945, is now effective and ready to be enforced. The United Nations was born of perceived necessity, as a means of better arbitrating international conflict and negotiating peace than was provided for by the old League of Nations. The […]

1951

President Truman declares war with Germany is officially over

On October 24, 1951, President Harry Truman finally proclaims that the nation’s war with Germany, begun in 1941, is officially over. Fighting had ended in the spring of 1945. Most Americans assumed that the war with Germany had ended with the cessation of hostilities six years earlier. In fact, a treaty with Germany had not […]

1:38m read

1962

James Brown records breakthrough “Live at the Apollo” album

On October 24, 1962, soul singer James Brown gives an electrifying performance on Black America’s most famous stage—a performance recorded and later released as Live at the Apollo (1963). It was the first breakthrough album of Brown’s career—a major step toward his eventual crossover and conquest of the mainstream pop music world. Brown began his […]

1:18m read

1969

Richard Burton buys Elizabeth Taylor a diamond

Movie star Richard Burton dazzles wife Elizabeth Taylor—and their legions of fans—when he buys her a 69-carat Cartier diamond ring costing $1.5 million. It was just another chapter in a tempestuous marriage that began on the Ides of March and continued thereafter in the public eye. Taylor and Burton met and fell in the love […]

2:30m read

1973

President Nixon vetoes War Powers Resolution

President Nixon vetoes the War Powers Resolution, which would limit presidential power to commit armed forces abroad without Congressional approval. The bill, introduced by Senator Jacob K. Javits of New York, required the president to report to Congress within 48 hours after commitment of armed forces to foreign combat and limited to 60 days the […]

1997

Marv Albert faces sentencing in sexual assault case

Circuit Court Judge Benjamin Kendrick announces that he will dismiss the sexual assault case filed against Marv Albert by 42-year-old Vanessa Perhach if the sportscaster agrees to get counseling and stays out of trouble for a year. Albert faced up to 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine. According to Perhach, Albert had invited […]

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2003

The Concorde makes its final commercial flight

The supersonic Concorde jet makes its last commercial passenger flight, traveling at twice the speed of sound from New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to London’s Heathrow Airport on October 24, 2003. The British Airways jet carried 100 passengers, including actress Joan Collins, model Christie Brinkley and an Ohio couple who reportedly paid […]

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Citation Information

Article title: George Washington Bridge is dedicated
Author: HISTORY.com Editors
Website Name: History
URL: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/october-24/george-washington-bridge-is-dedicated

Date Accessed: June 12, 2025
Publisher: A&E Television Networks
Last Updated: May 27, 2025
Original Published Date: November 13, 2009

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