Hey there! I’m Jay, and today we’re going to explore some amazing bridges from around the world. Did you know there are millions of bridges? Some are brand new, like the ones in Singapore and Brazil, while others, like a stone bridge in the Czech Republic, have been around for a very long time.
My friend James has a great question: How do you build bridges that last over a hundred years? Well, building a big city bridge is quite a challenge! It takes a team of people working together, like engineers who design the bridge, politicians and business leaders who gather money and materials, and construction workers who actually build it.
Imagine if you were part of a bridge-building team. What job would you like to do? Think about it for a moment!
Let’s talk about a famous bridge: the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. This bridge connects two busy places, Manhattan and Brooklyn. Even though it’s over a hundred years old, thousands of people cross it every day, and more than a million tourists visit it each year!
Building the Brooklyn Bridge was not easy. It had to be long to cross the wide East River, tall for big ships to pass underneath, and strong to handle lots of traffic. The plan was to build two tall towers and hang the bridge from wires attached to them. This type of bridge is called a suspension bridge.
But things didn’t go as planned. Building the towers was tough and dangerous. Workers had to dig deep underwater, and many got hurt or sick. The first leader of the project, the Chief Engineer, sadly died in an accident, and his replacement, Washington Roebling, got so sick he couldn’t leave his bedroom.
That’s when Emily Roebling, Washington’s wife, stepped in. Even though she wasn’t an engineer, she was determined to help. She wrote letters for her husband so he could supervise the construction from his bedroom. Emily visited the site every day, talked to workers, engineers, and politicians, and helped solve problems.
After 11 more years of hard work, the Brooklyn Bridge was finally completed. It was tall, strong, and beautiful, just like the team had hoped. Today, it’s still open and loved by many people.
Building a bridge takes a lot of teamwork and determination. Even when things go wrong, the team has to keep going. The Brooklyn Bridge almost didn’t happen, but because the team worked together and never gave up, they created something amazing that people still use today.
Thanks for joining me on this bridge adventure! Stay curious, and I’ll see you next time with more exciting questions and discoveries!
Bridge Building Challenge: Gather some simple materials like popsicle sticks, string, and glue. Try to build your own small bridge at home or in class. Think about the different parts of a bridge, like the towers and the cables, just like the Brooklyn Bridge. How can you make your bridge strong enough to hold a small toy car?
Bridge Observation Walk: Take a walk with a family member or friend and look for bridges in your neighborhood. They might be small ones over streams or big ones for cars. What do you notice about them? Are they made of metal, wood, or stone? How are they similar or different from the Brooklyn Bridge?
Imagine Your Own Bridge: Draw a picture of a bridge you would like to build. Where would it be? What would it look like? Would it be a suspension bridge like the Brooklyn Bridge, or a different type? Share your drawing with your classmates and explain why your bridge is special.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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(phone ringing) – Hi, it’s Jay. Check out these amazing bridges. There are millions of bridges around the world. Some built recently, like this one in Singapore or this one in Brazil, and others, like this stone bridge in the Czech Republic, that have been standing for a long time. Someone named James has a question about bridges. Let’s give James a call now. (phone ringing) – Hi, Jay. – Hi, James. – I have a question for you. How do you build bridges that last over a hundred years? – That is a great question. Building a major city bridge is challenging. It takes many people: engineers to design and plan the bridge, politicians and business leaders to raise money and supply materials, construction workers to actually build it, and more. All those people have to work together. Think about if you were a member of a team building a bridge. What job would you want to have? Now would be a good time to pause the video and discuss. Okay, are you ready? A lot of work goes into constructing a bridge: designing it, planning where and when to build it, gathering materials, building, testing, and more. But if the team building it works together, a finished bridge can be an amazing accomplishment. Like check this out. This is the Brooklyn Bridge. The Brooklyn Bridge connects two of the busiest parts of New York City, Manhattan and Brooklyn. Even though it’s over a hundred years old, still thousands of people cross the Brooklyn Bridge each day and more than a million tourists visit it each year. Given that it’s one of the most famous and beloved bridges in the world, you might think it was built by experts who knew exactly how to make building a bridge go smoothly. But that’s not what happened. Building the Brooklyn Bridge was a difficult task from the beginning. The bridge had to be really long because it was supposed to cross the East River, which is very wide and crowded with boats. So the bridge had to be really tall so huge ships could pass underneath. And the bridge had to be really strong—strong enough to support traffic from two of the most crowded cities on earth. The plan was to start by building two tall towers. The base of each tower would be buried deep in the bottom of the river. The bridge itself would hang or suspend from wires attached to the towers. This is what’s called a suspension bridge. If everything went according to plan, the Brooklyn Bridge would be the longest bridge ever built and the tallest structure anywhere in North America. But everything did not go according to plan. Construction faced many challenges. To build the foundations of the towers, workers had to dig deep underwater and underground. For hours each day, they hauled heavy loads of rock and earth around dark, hot, cramped spaces. Many workers quit each week. Even worse, building the towers turned out to be very dangerous. People got hurt and sick from their work, and some even lost their lives. Three years into the build, the unfinished bridge sat in the river—two incomplete structures. The project had already cost way more money than it was supposed to. Dozens of workers were too injured to return. The project’s first leader, the Chief Engineer, had been killed in a construction accident, and his replacement, Washington Roebling, was hurt so badly from working on site that he couldn’t even leave his bedroom. Everyone was close to giving up. Then, this woman got involved. This is Emily Roebling. Emily Roebling was married to Washington Roebling, the Chief Engineer. Unlike her husband, Emily had no formal training as an engineer. She’d never worked in politics or as a construction worker, but she was determined to get the bridge built. She started with her husband. Though he was very sick, she helped him keep working, writing letters for him so he could supervise construction from his bedroom window. At this point, the project leaders decided to change plans. They’d originally planned to dig the second tower deeper into the riverbed, but that clearly wasn’t safe for workers. Plus, it was expensive. It would have to be good enough as it was. And the build had another huge task ahead: hanging the wires from the towers and building the road itself. This wasn’t going to be easy. To hang the wires, workers climbed high into the air—sometimes higher than 200 feet. Look how small the rest of the city looks from way up there. At this time, there were no high-tech safety helmets to help. Workers had to climb from tower to tower on shaky bundles of wires and boards. It was a bit like working on a very tall, dangerous jungle gym. Emily took on more and more work. She visited the construction site daily. She met with workers, engineers, and politicians. She helped the huge team resolve disagreements, work through their daily problems, and convinced them not to give up on the goal of a finished bridge. It took 11 more years of difficult, dangerous, expensive work, but eventually, the Brooklyn Bridge was completed. It was tall, strong, and beautiful—everything the team that built it had ever hoped it would be. The Brooklyn Bridge opened to the public, and it’s still open now over a hundred years later. So in summary, building a bridge isn’t always a smooth process. It takes a lot of people working together, and that team has to figure out ways to keep going even when things go wrong. Building the Brooklyn Bridge nearly failed, but because the team behind it persisted through challenges, they made something that people still use and love today. That’s all for this week’s question. Thanks, James, for asking it. Now, we’ll be back with new episodes in August. But in the meantime, here are some older questions from the question jar. You can vote on which one you think we should send out next week. You can choose from how is glass made? Who invented the alphabet? Or how does hand sanitizer kill germs? So, submit your vote when the video’s over. We want to hear from all of you watching. There are mysteries all around us. Stay curious and see you soon.
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Let me know if you need any further modifications!
