David McCullough's book "The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge" is an excellent read. I hope everyone has the opportunity to see this magnificent bridge in their lifetime.

John Roebling, who designed the Brooklyn Bridge, died of tetanus after his foot was crushed between a ferry and a dock during early work at the site.

The next year, John's son Washington Roebling suffered a severe case of the bends fighting fire in an underwater caisson; though an invalid, with the help of his wife Emily, also an engineer, he coordinated the project to completion from a bedroom window overlooking the site.

Hart Crane, whose epic poem "The Bridge" (1930) is the greatest literary tribute, died two years later by jumping off a ship, not in the East River but the Gulf of Mexico. (Last words: "Goodbye everybody.")

In 1885, swimming instructor Robert Ellet Odlum was killed during a stunt jump off the bridge. A year later, lifeguard Steve Brodie claimed to have jumped and survived. There was no clear verification, but Brodie thrived on the story for the rest of his (short) life.

In 1965, the Broadway musical "Kelly", which depicted Brodie's supposed feat, closed after opening night, a legendary belly flop.