The Golden Gate Bridge was completed in 1937 and crosses the San Francisco Bay that leads to the Pacific Ocean. It spans across peninsula and links the tip of San Francisco with Marin County.

The bridge is 1.8 miles or nearly 9,000 feet long. Its middle span is 4200 feet and its width is 90 feet. It sits 220 feet above water and weighs 894,500 pounds.

At the time of its completion, the bridge was the largest in the world. Since then, several other bridges are larger, but the Golden Gate has managed to retain its mystique and tourist appeal.

Unfortunately, the Golden Gate Bridge has more suicide attempts than anywhere else in the world. In 2005, there had been more than 1200 suicides with an average of 1 attempt every 2 weeks. Very few people have survived a jump since the drop is so long. They either die from the fall impact or drown shortly after.

Currently, the bridge is being retro-fitted to better withstand an earthquake, should one occur. Originally engineers thought the bridge was sturdy enough but recent data indicates that some parts of the bridge are very vulnerable and could collapse with seismic activity. Since the bridge is so close to the San Andreas fault, a retro-fitting project was enacted to make it stronger.

Nearly 41 million people drive across the bridge every year. If you’re one of those people, watch out for higher tolls during peak hours—the prices fluctuate based on traffic.

So how long is the Golden Gate Bridge? It is 1.8 miles long, or 8,981 feet.

Exactly how long it took to build the Great Pyramid of Giza is estimated at 20 years.  The start date is lost in history but the best estimation has construction beginning around 2580 BC and ending around 2560 BC.  The great pyramid is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and was the tallest man made structure for nearly 4000 years.

How long did it take to build the Eiffel Tower? 2 years, 2 months & 5 days.

The Eiffel tower was built fast, even by today’s standards.  Construction began January 26, 1887 with 300 workers 18 thousand pieces of iron later, it officially finished on March 31, 1889.  The tower did not open until May 6^th of that same year. Construction lasted for two years, two months and five days (this does not include the five months it took to lay the foundation).

Additional Eiffel Tower Information:

Located in Paris, France, The Eiffel Tower currently stands at 324 metres or about 108 stories high. The original height was only 312 metres, as a television tower was added later. The tower is open to the general public with viewing areas at the 19th, 38th and 89th stories. From 273 metres up (the 89th story) the maximum view is about 37 miles out, but the surrounding countryside is rolling hills blocking viewing sections. There is an urban myth that the United States gave the Eiffel Tower to France in exchange for the Statue of Liberty.  This is false.  France commissioned, paid for and built the Eiffel Tower themselves as their main attraction and selling point at the International Exposition of 1889. If you are planning on visiting inside the Eiffel Tower, there are open iron stairways up to the first and second platforms (the 19th and 38th story public viewing areas).  The highest viewing point can only be reached by elevator.

Interesting Fact: There is a small, functioning French post office inside the Eiffel Tower.

Exactly how long is China’s Great Wall? The entire length of the Great Wall of China  is 5500.3 miles (8851.8 km). This total length is broken down into 3889.5 miles (6259.6 km) of actual wall still standing, 1387.2 miles (2232.5 km) of natural hills and rivers used as defense barriers and incorporated into the wall, and 223.5 miles (359.37 km) of trenches used for strategic positions in between sections of wall.

The Great Wall of China had been a continued project for over 2000 years. It took 9 years between 221 BC – 206 BC under the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huanghe for the first section of the wall to be completed. The wall had been continually built and rebuilt over centuries and the majority of the current Great Wall of China was completed between 1368 and 1644 AD during the Ming dynasty.