The PBS documentary on the Brooklyn Bridge was the first produced by Ken Burns, in 1982. This related PBS website offers a timeline on the design and building of the bridge, other on-line resources, and a educators’ page with lesson ideas.

According to the website, “Ken Burns captures the physical majesty of this greatest of all achievements of the industrial age, the dramatic story of the larger-than-life men who imagined and built it, and the immense charm this granite and steel structure has exerted on generations of city dwellers.”

“The Great East River Bridge was the largest bridge of its era, a technical achievement of unparalleled scope, marked by enormous construction problems, equally ingenious solutions and heroic human achievement. In unexpected and wonderful ways, the Brooklyn Bridge captured the imagination of all Americans, and in the process became a symbol in American culture of strength, vitality, ingenuity and promise.”

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Tags: Bridge building, Brooklyn bridge, Civil Engineering, PBS programs, Suspension bridge, Website