Ancient Britons

At the end of the last Ice Age, Britain had a cave-dwelling population of Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers, whose culture was called Creswellian, after Creswell Crags, Derbyshire, where remains of flint tools were found. Throughout prehistory successive waves of migrants from continental Europe accelerated or introduced cultural innovations.

A peak was reached in Neolithic society in southern England early in the 2nd millennium BC, with the construction of the great stone circles of Avebury and Stonehenge. 

The famous stone circle in Avebury, Wiltshire, was erected between 2600 and 2400BC, taking an estimated 1.5 million man-hours to complete. Europe's largest stone circle (diameter 412 m/1,350 ft), this megalithic henge monument is thought to have been part of a ritual complex, and contains 650 massive blocks of stone arranged in circles and avenues.

These Neolithic Britons were succeeded in central southern Britain by the Early Bronze Age Wessex culture, with strong trade links across Europe. The Beaker people probably introduced copper working to the British Isles. The aristocratic society of the Bronze Age Wessex culture of southern England is characterized by its circular burial mounds (round barrows); the dead were either buried or cremated, and cremated remains were placed in pottery urns.

Later invaders were the Celts, a warrior aristocracy with an Iron Age technology; they introduced horse-drawn chariots, had their own distinctive art forms, and occupied fortified hilltops.

Drawing of two Celtic Britons (c. 1574)

These Ancient Britons lived in hill forts, which were surrounded by walls and ditches while families lived in round, single-roomed houses with thatched roofs and walls made from a mixture of mud and twigs.

The Ancient Britons responded selectively to Roman influence even before the Roman occupation. For instance the nobles of the tribes of South East Britain acquired a taste for wine through the import of the drink from the Mediterranean area.

Apart from this newly available but expensive wine and mead, many Britons relished cider, an excessively strongly alcoholic drink made from the fermented juice of apples.

The Belgae (of mixed Germanic and Celtic stock) were partially Romanized in the century between the first Roman invasion of Britain under Julius Caesar (54 BC) and the Roman conquest (AD 43). They were responsible for the earliest British sites large and complex enough to be called towns; settled in southern Britain, the Belgae resisted the Romans from centres such as Maiden Castle, Dorset.

The native lower class Briton saw little change in his diet after the Roman occupation. The normal insubstantial, dull meals were bean or pea pottage cooked on an open-hearth fire, in confined conditions, with flat bread made from course grain flour. Dental damage begins early in life largely the result of a coarse and insufficient diet.

Sources Hutchinson Encyclopedia © RM 2013. Helicon Publishing is division of RM, 

Food For Thought: Extraordinary Little Chronicles Of The World by Ed Pearce

Battle Of Britain

The Battle Of Britain was a World War II air battle between German and British air forces over Britain from July 10, 1940 to October 31, 1940. The height of the battle occurred 30–31 August.

The name arose from SirWinston Churchill’s “this was their finest hour” speech on June 18, 1940: "What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin."

At the outset the Germans had the advantage because they had seized airfields in the Netherlands, Belgium, and France, which were basically safe from attack and from which southeast England was within easy range. On August 1, 1940 the Luftwaffe had about 2,800 aircraft in France, Belgium, Holland, and Norway, outnumbering the RAF by four to one.

The Battle of Britain had been intended as a preliminary to the German invasion plan Seelöwe (Sea Lion), which Hitler indefinitely postponed on September 17th and abandoned on October 10th , choosing instead to invade the USSR.

German Heinkel He 111 bombers over the English Channel 1940

After being promoted by Vice Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Douglas Bader was given command of 242 Squadron. The squadron's first sortie during the Battle of Britain on August, 30, 1940, resulted in the shooting down of 12 German planes over the English Channel in just over an hour. Bader himself was responsible for downing two Messerschmitt 110. 

Bader sitting on his Hurricane, as commanding officer of No.242 Squadron 

At first Germany's Luftwaffe aircraft was successful in destroying Britain's air force. It appeared the British RAF was about to be destroyed. In early September, King George VI called the nation to prayer, and many flocked to the churches. On September 15, 1940, two massive waves of German attacks were decisively repulsed by the RAF by deploying every aircraft in 11 Group. Sixty German aircraft were shot down in total.

Victoria Embankment, London. By Beata May - Wikipedia Commons

Mysteriously, despite the fact the RAF were down to their last legs with no reserves left, the Luftwaffe started to retreat and flew home. In retaliation for a RAF raid on Berlin, Hitler ordered a change of strategy of blitzing London and other British cities with night time raids. Even though there were many fatal British civilian casualties, this unexpected change of tactics allowed the RAF to build up again their stock of planes and trained pilots. The prayers had been answered and Britain was saved from invasion.

Hutchinson Encyclopedia © RM 2013. Helicon Publishing is division of RM.

Bristol

Bristol is a historic city in South West England, known for its maritime heritage, innovative spirit, and cultural scene. The town nestles on the banks of the River Avon, 

There was a settlement at Bristol as early as 978, when the wealth of the town derived mainly from the export of English slaves to Ireland. The settlement was known as Brycgstow (Old English for "the place at the bridge").

Henry II gave the town its first charter in 1155, and Bristol county was created by royal charter in 1373.

The town originally occupied a position wholly on the north of the River Avon. The alteration (1239) of the course of the Frome by digging a fresh channel, and the erection of a bridge spanning the river added to the area of the town, linking it also with Redcliffe.

Below is Robert Ricart's map of Bristol, drawn when he became common clerk of the town in 1478. At the centre, it shows the High Cross

The term blanket arose from the generalization of a specific fabric called Blanket fabric, a heavily napped woollen weave pioneered by Thomas Blanket (Blanquette), a Flemish weaver who lived in Bristol in the 14th century.

It was the starting place for early voyages of exploration to the New World, including the 1497 expedition when the Italian navigator John Cabot sailed west and landed in Newfoundland, in his ship the Matthew. Cabot was the first European since the Vikings to land on mainland North America.

Turkeys were first brought to England in 1526 by Yorkshireman William Strickland, who sold six acquired from American Indians for tuppence each in Bristol.

Bristol had trading links with France, Holland, Portugal, and Spain, and was the second most-important city in England after London between the 15th and 18th centuries.

The Avon Bridge was designed by Isambard Brunel to cross the Avon Gorge at Bristol. The engineer was working as a resident engineer on the Thames Tunnel at Rotherhithe, when he almost drowned when the tunnel collapsed and water poured in. He was seriously injured and during his recuperation he submitted designs for a competition to build a bridge across the Avon. His graceful suspension design won the competition.

In the past, Bristol had its own time zone, running 10 minutes behind London! This unique practice ended in 1836.

In the 17th and 18th centuries Bristol developed as the principal British port for trade with the American colonies and the West Indies. The port was central to the slave trade, and was part of a triangular trading system between West Africa and the West Indian and American plantations.

The Great Western, the first steamer intended for transatlantic trade, was built in Bristol in 1838.

SS Great Britain, the first ocean-going ship that had both an iron hull and a screw propeller, was launched was from Bristol in 1843.

The first chocolate bar was created by JS Fry & Sons of Bristol in 1847. Bristol also claims the title for birthplace of the world's first chocolate Easter egg in 1873, thanks to local chocolate producer Fry's .

Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) was inaugurated in the United Kingdom by Queen Elizabeth II when she spoke to the Lord Provost in a call from Bristol to Edinburgh.

In 1963 the Bristol Bus Boycott was held in Bristol to protest the Bristol Omnibus Company's refusal to employ Black or Asian bus crews, drawing national attention to racial discrimination in the United Kingdom.

The world’s first supersonic airliner, the Anglo-French Concorde, had its test flight near Bristol in 1969.

The first 32 Anglican women priests were ordained at Bristol Cathedral by Bishop Barry Rogerson in 1994.

Bristol is a major center for commerce, aerospace, and engineering. The city is also home to a thriving creative industries sector, with a growing reputation for film and television production.

Bristol is a renowned university city, with the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England attracting students from around the world.

The Wills Memorial Building of the University of Bristol,y Rodw - Wikipedia

While not officially confirmed, Bristol is widely considered the birthplace of British street art and continues to be a haven for talented artists, including the elusive Banksy.

Bristol held the prestigious title of the European Green Capital in 2015, highlighting its commitment to environmental sustainability.

According to The Independent and Chef's Pencil, Bristol boasts the most vegan restaurants per capita globally, earning it the unofficial title of "World's Vegan Capital."

Source Hutchinson Encyclopedia © RM 2013. Helicon Publishing is division of RM.

Brisbane

Brisbane is situated on the eastern coast of Australia, along the banks of the Brisbane River. It is the third-most populous city in Australia.

The area where Brisbane is located was originally inhabited by the indigenous Turrbal and Jagera peoples. European settlement began in 1824 when a penal colony was established, and the city gradually grew from there.

Brisbane is named after the Brisbane River on which it is located, which in turn was named after Scotsman Sir Thomas Brisbane, the Governor of New South Wales from 1821 to 1825.

Brisbane was chosen as the capital when Queensland was proclaimed a separate colony from New South Wales in 1859.

The Great Fire of Brisbane swept through the central parts of the city on December 1, 1864. For two and a half hours the fire burned out of control in large parts of Brisbane's central business district with entire blocks being destroyed, mainly in Queen, Albert, George, and Elizabeth Streets.

In 1881 a Brisbane Fire Brigade Board was established. Its first commander, John Edward Hinton, was appointed the following year,

On January 27, 1887, Brisbane received a staggering 465 millimeters (18.3 inches) of rain. This extreme downpour caused widespread flooding and damage.

Significant floods have occurred several times since the European settlement of Brisbane. Seven major flood peaks have been recorded at the Brisbane gauge since records began in 1841. In February 1893, a sequence of flood peaks (8.35 metres and 8.09 metres) over two weeks saw the highest recorded flood level in the Brisbane central business district.

On January 26, 1974, the Brisbane River breached its banks causing the largest flood to affect Brisbane in the 20th century, with a level of 5.45 metres.

The 1893 Brisbane flood.

The first civilian ambulance service was set up in 1892 in Brisbane. After witnessing an accident at the Brisbane Exhibition, Seymour Warrian founded the City Ambulance Transport Brigade.

Australian aviator Charles Kingsford Smith and his crew landed their Southern Cross aircraft in Brisbane on June 9, 1928, completing the first ever trans-Pacific flight from the United States mainland to Australia.

Brisbane played a central role in the Allied campaign during World War II as the South West Pacific headquarters for General Douglas MacArthur. Over 80,000 allied soldiers were stationed there at its peak.

Brisbane is also known as "River City" due to the iconic Brisbane River flowing through the heart of the city.

Locals sometimes use playful slang like "No worries" to convey understanding or agreement.

The city boasts the largest city hall in Australia, a majestic building completed in 1930.

Tucked away beneath the city center is the Roma Street Parkland, an enchanting 16-hectare garden oasis featuring waterfalls, themed gardens, and a lake.

The 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane from September 30th to October 9th of that year.

Excitingly, Brisbane has been chosen to host the 2032 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, promising to showcase the city's vibrant culture and world-class facilities to the international stage.

Sheppard's "Gernonimo" was the first single recorded in Brisbane to reach #1 in Australia.

Brighton

Forget sleepy fishing hamlet, Brighton, a town in East Sussex, was once Brightelmston, a humble dot on the map. But its destiny changed in 1753 with the arrival of Dr. Richard Russell, a health guru with a radical idea: seawater cures everything! Bam! His book, A Dissertation on the Use of Sea Water in Diseases of the Glands, became a bestseller, and Brighton's transformation began.

Suddenly, taking a dip wasn't just for the desperate, it was chic. Wealthy folks flocked to the coast, eager for a dose of Dr. Russell's "liquid sunshine." Enter the "dippers," brave souls like the celebrated Martha Gunn, who made a splash (literally) by plunging the rich into the waves for a fee. 

Brighton boomed. Bathhouses sprung up like mushrooms, catering to every whim. Fancy a dip in a private cabin? No problem. Want to watch from dry land? Grab a deckchair and enjoy the spectacle. The town buzzed with excitement, a far cry from its quiet fishing roots.

Brighton, The Front and the Chain Pier Seen in the Distance, Frederick William Woledge, 1840

Prince George, later George IV suffered from gout due to his highly spiced diet. For many years he bathed in the Brighton sea to try to cure this.

Prince George had a villa built in Brighton on the site of a farmhouse. In 1812 he engaged John Nash to enlarge it into the Royal Pavilion, extravagant "Indian" and "Chinese" interiors. Many people attacked his extravagance. 

7,000 residents of Brighton, ate plum pudding and roast beef and played kiss-in-the-ring at The Level urban park to celebrate Napoleon's defeat in 1814.

In 1821 Dean Mahomed, the owner of the first ever Indian restaurant in England, opened some baths on Brighton sea front. He claimed he was ‘the inventor of the Indian Medicated Vapour Baths…by whom the Art of Shampooing was first introduced into England in 1784.’ King George IV gave him a royal warrant and anointed him Shampooing Surgeon to The King. 

Britain’s first seaside pleasure pier, the Chain Pier at Brighton, opened in 1823.

Britain’s first express commuter train started operating in 1841. It run between London and Brighton taking 105 minutes to complete the 59-mile journey.

In 1871, Harry J. Lawson, of Brighton, made the first rear-chain-driven "safety" cycle. The pedal moved the back wheel by means of a chain on sprockets.

Dive into the underwater world at the Brighton Sea Life Centre, which opened its doors in 1872  and is the oldest operating aquarium in the world. It boasts the UK's longest underwater viewing tunnel and houses over 3,500 fascinating creatures.

Volk’s Electric Railway opened in 1879. Running along the Brighton seafront, it was the world’s first public electric railway.

The Duke of York's Picture House opened in Brighton in 1910. It is now the oldest continually operating cinema in Britain.

The world's first recorded cargo flight took off from Shoreham, just west of Brighton, in 1911. The precious cargo? A box of Osram light bulbs!

During World War I, the Royal Pavilion served as a military hospital for Indian soldiers and British amputees. Two monuments, the Chattri memorial and the Indian Gate, commemorate their legacy.

Britain’s first legal casino of modern times opened at the Metropole in Brighton in 1962.

Harry Bidwen of Brighton divorced his wife at the age of 101 in 1980, having waited until all their children were dead.

Source History World

Bridge (game)

Bridge, a trick-taking card game played with a standard deck of 52 cards, has captured the hearts and minds of players worldwide for its combination of skill, strategy, and social interaction. 

HOW TO PLAY

Imagine, if you will, a card game so intellectually stimulating it's been officially recognized as a mind sport. A game where partnerships are forged not in blood, but in cunning bids and the delicate art of reading your partner's mind (or at least their hand). This, my friends, is Bridge.

By American Contract Bridge League - ACBL Resource Center: http://acbl.mybigcommerce.com/

Now, Bridge isn't whist with a monocle; it's an evolution, a triumph of bidding and trick-taking that emerged from the murky depths of 19th-century Russia. Back then, they called it Biritch, which, let's be honest, sounds like a particularly enthusiastic sneeze. Thankfully, the English pronunciation, "bridge," is a touch more sophisticated.

But don't be fooled by the genteel name. Bridge is a mental marathon, a tango of memory and deduction played out over four suits and 13 cards. Each player wrestles with an incomplete hand, desperately trying to assess the battlefield, decipher their partner's cryptic bids, and outwit their opponents. It's like poker on a caffeine bender, with a dash of Sherlock Holmes thrown in for good measure.

The basic premise? Win tricks, score points, don't let your opponents steal the show. But the magic lies in the bidding, a silent auction where players use a secret language of numbers and symbols to communicate their hand's potential. It's a dance of deception, a calculated waltz between underbidding and overpromising. And let me tell you, the tension is thicker than clotted cream at a vicar's tea party.

Of course, Bridge isn't just for the cerebral elite. It's a social butterfly, flitting from grand tournaments to casual gatherings, bringing people together over card tables and cups of tea (or something stronger, depending on the time of day). Bridge clubs buzz with the chatter of strategies and post-mortem analysis, while online platforms connect players across continents, fostering a global community of card sharks.

So, if you're looking for a game that will challenge your mind, test your friendships, and maybe even make you sound a touch more sophisticated (because let's face it, who doesn't love casually dropping "notrump" into conversation?), then Bridge might just be your cup of tea (or whatever your preferred beverage may be). Just be warned, once you get hooked, the only thing more bewildering than the scoring system might be your sudden urge to buy a monocle. You've been warned.

HISTORY OF BRIDGE

The story of bridge begins with its predecessor, Whist. Whist was a popular trick-taking card game played in England in the 17th century. It involved players trying to win tricks, much like in bridge, but without the complexity of bidding.

In the mid-19th century, the game underwent a transformation with the introduction of a variant known as Biritch, or Russian Whist. This game introduced the concept of bidding, a crucial element that would later define bridge. The name "bridge" itself is believed to have originated from the Russian word "biritch."

The modern form of bridge, known as contract bridge, was developed in the 1920s. The key figure in this transformation was Harold S. Vanderbilt, a wealthy American businessman and avid card player. Vanderbilt's contribution was the concept of contract bidding, where players bid on the number of tricks they could take in a specific suit or in a notrump contract. This innovation added a layer of strategy and depth to the game.

The refinement of contract bridge also witnessed a notable controversy between two prominent bridge players, Ely Culbertson and Josephine Culbertson. Their conflicting approaches to bidding led to a publicized feud, contributing to the game's popularity as newspapers covered the controversy extensively.

During the 20th century, bridge gained immense popularity, especially in the United States and Europe. It became not just a game but a social phenomenon, with people forming bridge clubs and hosting bridge parties. The game's intellectual challenge and social aspects contributed to its widespread appeal.

Duplicate bridge, a variation where the same deals are played by different partnerships, emerged as a competitive form of the game. Tournaments, both local and international, became common, attracting serious players and further elevating bridge to a recognized sport.

In the digital age, bridge has transitioned to online platforms, allowing players from around the world to connect and compete. Online bridge has brought new life to the game, making it accessible to a broader audience.

Bridge has been recognized as a mind sport by the International Olympic Committee. Its inclusion in various international competitions, including the World Bridge Federation's World Bridge Championships, highlights its status as a serious and competitive pursuit.

FUN BRIDGE FACTS

In 1929, US housewife Myrtle Bennett shot her husband dead for his poor play – but was acquitted of murder on the grounds it was self-defense.

Bridge enthusiasts include US tycoon Warren Buffett and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

Omar Sharif, the Egyptian star of Lawrence Of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago, quit acting to become one of the world’s best bridge players.

There are 635,013,559,599 possible hands in a game of bridge.

Source Daily Mail

Bridge

A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle, such as a body of water, a valley, or a road, providing passage over the obstacle. Bridges are designed to support the weight of people, vehicles, or trains.

  

BRIDGE HISTORY

Despite ancient Roman bridges being the first large and lasting bridges ever built, many are still used despite being around 2,000 years old.

The first toll bridge in America was licensed to Richard Thurley at Newbury River in 1654. There was a charge for animals but not for humans.

The world’s first arch bridge made of cast iron opened to traffic, over the River Severn in Shropshire, England on January 1, 1781. The unimaginatively named Iron Bridge was greatly celebrated after construction owing to its use of the new material. (Photo below by  User:Colin / Wikimedia Commons.)

The Menai Suspension Bridge, considered the world's first modern suspension bridge, connecting the Isle of Anglesey to the north West coast of Wales opened to much fanfare on January 30, 1826. Before the bridge was completed, the island had no fixed connection to the mainland and all movements to and from Anglesey were by ferry across the fast flowing and dangerous waters of the Menai Strait.

Construction of the Menai Suspension Bridge began in 1819 with the towers on either side of the strait. These were constructed from Penmon limestone and were hollow with internal cross-walls. Then came the sixteen huge chain cables, each made of 935 iron bars, that support the 577 foot (176 meter) span.

"Menai Suspension Bridge Dec 09" by Bencherlite - Wikipedia Commons

Isambard Brunel designed the Clifton Suspension Bridge which crosses the Avon Gorge at Bristol. He was working as a resident engineer on the Thames Tunnel at Rotherhithe, when he almost drowned when the tunnel collapsed and water poured in. He was seriously injured and during his recuperation he submitted designs for a competition to build a bridge across the Avon. His graceful suspension design won the competition.

Clifton Suspension Bridge. By Gothick - Wikipedia

Construction of the Clifton Suspension Bridge began in 1831, but there were endless delays and it eventually opened on December 8, 1864.

Yarmouth Suspension Bridge, which spanned the River Bure at Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, opened in 1829. On 2 May 1845,  a crowd gathered on the bridge to watch a clown in a washtub pulled by four geese floating down the river. The bridge collapsed and 79 people (mostly children) died.

The Father Louis Hennepin Bridge, the first bridge over the Mississippi River opened in what is now Minneapolis, Minnesota on January 23, 1855. This wooden bridge spanned the Mississippi River just above St. Anthony Falls and served for 21 years, The crossing is made today by the Hennepin Avenue Bridge (see below).

By prakope - Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, $3

John Augustus Roebling - the original designer of the Brooklyn Bridge--- died of a tetanus infection in 1869 after having his leg crushed by a ferryboat while working on the Brooklyn Bridge.

The ground was broken for the construction of New York City's Brooklyn Bridge on January 3, 1870. It took 13 years, 600 workers and cost $15 million.

On December 28, 1879, during a violent storm, the Tay Bridge in Scotland collapsed as a train was crossing over it on the way to Dundee, killing at least 56 people on board. It had only opened the previous year.

Brooklyn Bridge, at the time the longest suspension bridge in the world, opened on May 24, 1883. On that first day, a total of 1,800 vehicles and 150,300 people crossed what was then the only land passage between Manhattan and Brooklyn.

The opening ceremony for Brooklyn Bridge was attended by several thousand people and many ships were present in the East Bay for the occasion. President Chester A. Arthur and Mayor Franklin Edson crossed the bridge to celebratory cannon fire and were greeted by Brooklyn Mayor Seth Low when they reached the Brooklyn-side tower. Further festivity included the performance of a band, gunfire from ships, and a fireworks display.

The picture below shows "Bird's-Eye View of the Great New York and Brook­lyn Bridge and Grand Dis­play of Fire Works on Open­ing Night"

The public originally doubted the stability of the Brooklyn Bridge. Six days after its opening, a pedestrian fell, causing a woman to scream, which led to a stampede that killed 12. Public concern was only dispelled a year later when P.T. Barnum marched 21 elephants across it.

The longest bridge in Great Britain, the Forth Railway Bridge in Scotland, measuring 1,710 feet (520 m) long, was opened by the Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VII on March 4, 1890. The bridge connects Edinburgh and Fife.

The Forth Bridge seen from South Queensferry. By Kim Traynor - Wikipedia Commons

The Queensboro Bridge, the first double-decker bridge, opened in New York City on March 30, 1909. It links Manhattan and Queens.

Queensboro Bridge circa 1908

The Maurzyce Bridge built in 1928 near Lowicz in Poland was the first welded road bridge in the world.

Ulysses S. Grant III approved the unsightly design of the original Shoreham Hill Bridge in Washington, D.C. in 1929 because it would encourage the public to demand a more aesthetic and expensive bridge.

New York City's George Washington Bridge opened to vehicles on October 25, 1931. 56,312 cars and one horse crossed the structure on its first day.

As of 2019, the George Washington Bridge carried over 104 million vehicles per year, making it the world's busiest motor vehicle bridge. This translates to roughly 280,000 vehicles per day.

The original London Bridge was built in 1831 and spanned the River Thames in London, England. It was a popular tourist destination and a symbol of British power and prestige. However, by the early 1960s, the bridge was showing its age and was no longer able to handle the increasing traffic load.

The current London Bridge was constructed by contractors John Mowlem and Co from 1967 to 1972 and opened by Queen Elizabeth II on March 17, 1973. The old one was sold to the Missourian entrepreneur Robert P. McCulloch of McCulloch Oil for US$2,460,000. It was reconstructed by Sundt Construction at Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The London Bridge was reopened to the public on October 10, 1971, 

London Bridge, Lake Havasu City, Arizona. By Ken Lund from Las Vegas,

The Tallahatchee Bridge in Greenwood, Mississippi, made famous in Bobbie Gentry's "Ode To Billie Joe", collapsed in 1972.

 Bridge crossing the the Rhone River near Avignon (photo by Les Gosden)

The 3,911-meter (12,831-feet) Akashi Kaikyo Bridge opened to traffic on April 5, 1998. Linking Awaji Island with Honshū on the Japanese mainland, it cost about $3.8 billion. The wires that make up its steel cables would circle the world seven times if separated and laid end to end.

The Akashi Bridge in Kobe on December 2005 Picture taken by Kim Rötzel. Work by Tysto,

The new eastern span of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge is a single deck bridge with 10 traffic lanes (5 lanes in each direction). It is a self-anchored suspension bridge, which means that the cables are anchored to the main tower and do not need to be anchored to the ground. The bridge is 2.2 miles long and 525 feet high. 

The construction of the new eastern span was a major undertaking. It took 12 years and $6.4 billion to complete. The bridge was opened to traffic on September 2, 2013.

The Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, which was built for rail and motor vehicle transit over the Bosphorus, north of two existing bridges in Istanbul, Turkey, opened on August 26, 2016. At 322 metres (1056 feet), the bridge is one of the tallest suspension bridges in the world. 

BRIDGE RECORDS

The Evergreen Point Floating Bridge opened for commuter traffic on August 28, 1963, after three years of construction. A floating bridge in Washington state, US, it carried State Route 520 across Lake Washington from the Montlake/Union Bay district of Seattle to Medina. Its 2,310 meters (7,580 ft) floating section was the longest floating bridge in the world until April 11, 2016, when its replacement exceeded it by 130 feet.

The Evergreen Point Floating Bridge (520 bridge) in Seattle, Washington, shot from about 1,500', looking south-east.

Located in Himachal Pradesh, in the Himalayan Mountains. India, Chicham Bridge holds the record for the highest motorable bridge in the world, sitting at an impressive 4,037 meters (13,244 feet) above sea level. It spans a deep gorge over the Parilungbi Canyon and connects Spiti Valley villages, replacing  a risky ropeway, and offers stunning vistas.

The 1915 Çanakkale Bridge opened in Turkey on March 18, 2022. Situated just south of the towns of Lapseki and Gelibolu, the bridge spans the Dardanelles strait. With a main span of 2,023 m (6,637 ft), it is the longest suspension bridge in the world.

Spanning a staggering 164.8 kilometers (102.4 miles) across China's Jiangsu province, the Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge reigns as the world's longest bridge. This colossal viaduct, proudly carrying the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway, officially opened its doors to the public on June 30, 2011.

The world's world's widest cable-stayed bridge is the Tahya Misr Bridge over the Nile River in Cairo, Egypt, with a width of 67.3 meters (221 feet). Completed in 2019, it is part of the Rod El-Farag Axis project, which is a major transportation initiative in Cairo. The bridge carries six lanes of traffic, two railway tracks, and a pedestrian walkway.

Titlis Cliff Walk is a pedestrian bridge along the cliff of Mount Titlis in the Swiss Alps. Built at around 10,000 feet (3,000 m) above sea level, it is believed to be the highest elevation suspension bridge in Europe.

Lake Pontchartrain Causeway at New Orleans, Louisiana, is the world's longest bridge over water (continuous). It is almost 24 miles (about 38 kilometers) long.

The southern end of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway at Metaire, Louisiana,

The Crimean Bridge consists of two parallel structures, one accommodating a four-lane road and the other facilitating a double-track railway. These bridges span the Kerch Strait, connecting the Taman Peninsula of Krasnodar Krai in Russia to the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea. Constructed by the Russian Federation following the annexation of Crimea in early 2014, the bridge incurred a cost of ₽227.92 billion (US$3.7 billion). With a length of 19 km (12 mi), it holds the distinction of being the longest bridge in Europe.

FUN BRIDGE FACTS

The Boston University Bridge (on Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts) is one of the few places in the world where a boat can sail under a train driving under a car driving under an airplane.

The city of Hamburg in Germany has a total of 2,496 bridges, which is the most of any city in Europe and many more than cities like Amsterdam, Saint Petersburg and Venice. This has led to Hamburg being referred to as "the Venice of the North".

The Trans-Siberian railway crosses exactly 3901 bridges.

Living root bridges are a form of tree shaping common in the southern part of the Northeast Indian state of Meghalaya. At over 50 meters in length, the longest known example of a living root bridge is near the small Khasi town of Pynursla.

This living root bridge is the longest known example.

Peak Walk is a pedestrian suspension bridge in Switzerland linking the peak of Scex Rouge with another peak. When it opened on October 25, 2014, it became the world's first suspension bridge that connects two mountain peaks.

Thieves stole an entire 22-tonne, 82-foot metal bridge on March 11, 2013 in the Golcuk district of the Turkish province of Kocaeli. The bridge was located in a remote area and was used primarily for pedestrian and bicycle traffic. The theft was discovered the following morning, when local residents noticed that the bridge was missing and reported it to the authorities. Police launched an investigation and later discovered that the thieves had disassembled the bridge and removed it piece by piece, likely to sell the metal for scrap.

The Morgan Creek Bridge in Chapel Hill, North Carolina was renamed in 2003 the James Taylor Bridge in honor of the singer, who mentioned it in his song "Copperline."

Poohsticks Bridge had to be replaced in 1999 because so many people had thrown sticks under it.

In Florida it is illegal to fish while driving across a bridge.

Gephyrophobia is the fear of bridges.

Source Greatfacts.com