Galloping Gertie Video
Click the screen to start the video
The first Tacoma Narrows Bridge spanned the Tacoma Narrows strait between Tacoma and the Kitsap Peninsula. Galloping Gertie, as it was nicknamed, opened to traffic on July 1, 1940 and became famous for its sensational wind-induced structural collapse four months later.
The silent video above, provided by the Internet Archive, features scenes of bridge construction, the opening of the bridge, and its final plunge into the depths of the Tacoma Narrows.
For more information on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, visit the Washington State Department of Transportation website.