The Golden Gate Bridge is a massive suspension bridge that spans the Golden Gate Strait, the narrow opening where San Francisco Bay meets the Pacific Ocean. Completed in 1937, it connects San Francisco to Marin County in northern California.

When engineers planned the bridge, many people said it was impossible to build. The Golden Gate Strait has powerful currents, deep water, frequent fog, and strong winds. But chief engineer Joseph Strauss and his team solved these challenges with innovative designs. The bridge's two main towers rise 746 feet above the water, about as tall as a 65-story building. Between them, massive cables hold up the roadway, which stretches 1.7 miles across the strait.

The bridge's distinctive orange-red color, called international orange, wasn't the original plan. The U.S. Navy wanted it painted in yellow and black stripes for visibility. But consulting architect Irving Morrow argued that the orange color would stand out beautifully against the blue water and sky while remaining visible in fog. He was right: the color has become iconic.

The Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it opened, and it remains one of the most recognizable structures on Earth. More than 100,000 vehicles cross it every day, and it has appeared in countless movies and photographs as a symbol of San Francisco and American engineering achievement.