When San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge opened to vehicular traffic at noon on this day in 1937, the toll was just 50 cents each way—with an extra five cents for three or more passengers.

Nearly nine decades later, this 1.7-mile marvel continues to inspire awe, carrying over 100,000 vehicles daily across the Golden Gate Strait, where the Pacific Ocean meets San Francisco Bay.

Glistening like a beacon through fog and sunlight, the bridge was painted in “International Orange”—a bold orange vermilion chosen to harmonize with the landscape and remain visible through San Francisco’s shifting skies.

I regret that I have but one life to live in San Francisco,” quipped beloved columnist Herb Caen, capturing the city's irresistible pull.

At the time of construction, the Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension span in the world. Engineer Joseph Baerman Strauss (1870–1938) led the project against fierce wind, Pacific currents, and harsh criticism from skeptics who said it couldn’t be done.

Strauss pioneered safety innovations like hard hats and a massive net beneath the bridge that saved many lives. Amid the Great Depression, he held firm to his dream and completed the structure in just four and a half years.

“The Golden Gate Bridge—the bridge that could not and should not be built—stands before you in all its majestic splendor,” he declared, voice full of wonder and heart. More than steel and cables; it was the realization of a dream held fast through doubt, daring, and devotion.

When asked how long it would last, Strauss replied simply: “Forever.”