Did you know the Brooklyn Bridge and Slinky toys have
something in common? They both exist because of the Roebling family. John A.
Roebling designed the Brooklyn Bridge and oversaw the construction when it was
begun on this day in 1870. While he was conducting a survey for the project,
John’s foot was accidentally crushed between the side of a boat and a piling. He
developed tetanus and died soon after. His son Washington Roebling took over, but fell victim to decompression sickness while working on the
bridge’s foundations. Washington’s wife
Emily oversaw the bridge's completion in 1883. Oh, right. I haven’t told you about the
Slinky yet. Roebling Sr. needed lots of steel wire to hold up the Brooklyn
Bridge and other suspension bridges, so he founded the John A. Roebling and Son’s
Company to produce it. And yes, Slinky is made of Roebling flat wire.
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