Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge crosses the East River to link Manhattan and Brooklyn, and when it opened in 1883 it was the longest suspension bridge in the world and the first to use steel cables. Its twin Gothic stone towers and graceful web of cables made it an instant icon of New York and a symbol of American ambition in the industrial age, knitting together what were then two separate cities.

Designed by John Roebling, who died of an injury at the site, the bridge was completed by his son Washington and, after Washington fell ill, effectively overseen by his wife Emily Roebling - a landmark role for a woman in 19th-century engineering. Its wooden pedestrian promenade, raised above the traffic, remains one of the great walks in America, offering sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline and the harbor.

• New York City
  The largest city in the United States related