San Francisco is situated on the West Coast of America on San Francisco Bay. It`s a big city with over 870,000 people! It`s famous for its earthquakes, Alcatraz prison and Chinatown, but most of all it`s famous for the Golden Gate Bridge. The Golden Gate Bridge is the most photographed bridge in the world and over 100,000 cars use it every day! So what`s the story behind this famous landmark?

A hundred years ago, San Francisco was growing fast. Many people came in and out of the city across the bay. Ferries and boats were used to cross the water, but there was often thick fog and strong winds. As a result, in 1933, work started on a new bridge.

The Golden Gate Bridge was built by hundreds of construction workers. It was a dangerous job and there was a huge safety net under it. In June 1935, there was an earthquake while men were working on the bridge. The bridge towers moved four metres each way. Luckily, nobody fell.

The bridge was finished in 1937 and it cost 35 million dollars. When it was opened, people celebrated with a Fiesta Week. There were parades, competitions and firework displays for seven days!

Today the bridge is open every day, even in strong winds and fog…

A giant octopus tried to destroy it once, but that was in a film!