Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse "Gallopin' Gertie"

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Uploaded by on Dec 9, 2006

Watch the amazing "Gallopin' Gertie" November 7, 1940 film clip.
1940 Tacoma Narrows Bridge
Slender, elegant and graceful, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge stretched like a steel ribbon across Puget Sound in 1940. The third longest suspension span in the world opened on July 1st. Only four months later, the great span's short life ended in disaster. "Galloping Gertie," collapsed in a windstorm on November 7,1940.

The bridge became famous as "the most dramatic failure in bridge engineering history." Now, it's also "one of the world's largest man-made reefs." The sunken remains of Galloping Gertie were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992 to protect her from salvagers.

A dramatic tale of failure and success
The story of the failure of the 1940 Narrows Bridge and the success of the Current Narrows Bridge is a great American saga. When Galloping Gertie splashed into Puget Sound, it created ripple effects across the nation and around the world. The event changed forever how engineers design suspension bridges. Gertie's failure led to the safer suspension spans we use today.

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  • The irony is that this was filmed 60 years ago and is of better quality and has better camera skills than half the videos on youtube today!

  • @THEAIRJORDANSHOW Its not fake google it.

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All Comments (7,243)

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  • @thachthewandererable Yes. It's called aeroelastic flutter. See more here!

    /watch?v=6ai2QFxStxo&feature=B­Fa&list=PLED25F943F8D6081C&lf=­iv

  • what name have this wonderful music?

  • @JDemon553 no, it's not made out of rubber. I believe that there was a strong wind hit the bridge, and caused the bridge to twist up, but the gravity twisted back down, and it goes on and on... until the bridge destroyed. That's what i believe

  • @vlnplyr5 70 years ago! :)

  • @Toosmartformaths --- Look at the flat panels along side of the bridge deck.  They caught the wind like sails.

    The next design had X-beams as supports, letting the wind pass through.

  • military troops crossed the bridge in rhythm with its natural frequency and resonance occured increasing its amplitude until it broke apart

  • Dust in the wind...

  • I sense a great disturbance in the force...

  • WTF was the damn bridge made out of rubber

  • I am never going on the Narrows again...

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