One of the most well-known bridges in the world is the Brooklyn Bridge. Connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn, it spans the East River. The bridge, which was the first steel-wire suspension bridge ever constructed when it was finished in 1883, once held the record for the world’s longest suspension bridge. It was referred to as one of the seven wonders of the industrial world and measured 5,899 feet in length and up to 276.5 feet above the water.
During the bridge’s construction, more than 20 men lost their lives. John Roebling, the bridge’s principal architect, was the first casualty, then more workers. Over 20,000 people were on the bridge a week after the opening ceremony when there was a rumor going around that it might collapse. Twelve people died as the panic spread; they were trampled underfoot by the enormous crowd.
None of this, however, comes close to the number of people who have killed themselves by jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge. Unofficially, there had been more than 1,300 suicides by 2003. There are rumors that someone perishes in the East River every fifteen days. Engineering challenges prevented the idea of building a suicide barrier from being implemented.
Robert Emmet Odlum was the first person to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge. Robert simply wanted to demonstrate that one does not perish by falling through the air. He had no intention of killing himself.
He did this to exhort others to run for safety if they were trapped inside a burning structure. In addition to this, he also wanted fame and money, which added to his motivation for doing the deed. He unfortunately did not make it through the jump.
Instructor of swimming Robert Odlum. He was born in Ogdensburg, New York, on August 31, 1851, and excelled at swimming from a young age. The Odlum family made extensive travels in search of David, Robert’s older brother who perished in the American Civil War. Robert transitioned through numerous residences and occupations. He relocated to Washington in 1878 and started the Natatorium, a swimming school. The school was a huge success, and soon the kids of many well-known Washingtonians enrolled there.
The sons of US President James A. Garfield, the daughter of General William Sherman, and the children of President Rutherford Birchard Hayes were among the students of Odlum, who earned the title of Professor. Thanks to his numerous exploits, including swimming and diving into the Potomac River, jumping off the Occoquan Falls, and swimming from Washington to Marshall Hall, Maryland with his friend Paul Boyton, another water showman and daredevil known as the Fearless Frogman, Robert had become a local celebrity in Washington.
Robert made the decision to shut down the school when the Natatorium started to lose money in 1881. He was able to secure employment at Fort Monroe’s Hygeia Hotel in Hampton, Virginia, as a swimming instructor, but his desire for fame and wealth persisted.
In 1882, Robert sneaked to an incomplete section of the Brooklyn Bridge in order to perform a jump from it. The police stopped him before he could pull off the stunt and returned him to Washington. After three years, he finally accomplished his goal.
Robert returned to New York on May 19, 1885, well-prepared. The NYPD was well aware of his plans because, in the weeks before the incident, word of Robert’s intentions had spread throughout the city. The security on the bridge was tightened, but Odlum was able to divert attention. While he was concealing himself in another vehicle, he sent James Haggart, a friend, to the bridge in a taxi. James pretended to be the jumper while acting as a ruse for the police. Robert exited the car he was hiding in while the police officers were occupied with the fake jumper. He jumped off the bridge at 5:35 p.m. in his swimsuit in front of a crowd of onlookers who were watching from a boat.
Robert dropped into the icy water at a speed of about 60 mph. He slammed his feet and hip into the river’s surface at an angle. The strong wind that was blowing at the time contributed to the jump’s disastrous outcome. When the lifeguard, who Odlum himself had working, was doing nothing at all, Paul Boyton jumped into the water and removed Robert’s body. Robert briefly regained consciousness after being brought to the boat, inquired as to whether the jump was successful, and then fell back to unconsciousness. His mouth began to bleed, and at 6:18 pm he passed away from internal bleeding. His friend called an ambulance, but it did not arrive in time to save his life.
Robert had three broken ribs in addition to a ruptured liver, kidneys, and spleen, according to the coroner. Concussion was determined to be the death’s official cause. In Washington, D.C.’s Mount Olivet Cemetery, Robert was laid to rest.
Robert’s mother charged Paul Boyton with murder after his fatal leap, saying that he convinced Robert to take the risk. The Fearless Frogman wrote an open letter to Mrs. Catherine Odlum that was also printed in The New York Times and denied all responsibility.
“The Life and Adventures of Prof. Robert Emmet Odlum, Containing an Account of his Splendid Natatorium at the National Capital” is a biography of her son that Catherine Odlum published in 1885.
Steve Brodie claimed to be the first person to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge and survive the fall one year after Robert’s passing. Since there were no witnesses, it was claimed that Brodie staged the jump by hurling a dummy from the bridge.
The alleged jump took place on July 23, 1886. The first confirmed survivor of the Brooklyn Bridge leap was Larry Donovan, who made the leap into the East River one month later.
Saudi Arabia camel carvings dated to prehistoric era
Archaeologists were shocked to discover that a series of camels carved into desert rock faces in north-western Saudi Arabia are actually prehistoric, dating from 7,000-8,000 years ago - before either the Pyramids of Giza or Stonehenge were built.
Louis Le Prince Invented the motion picture camera, and then he mysteriously disappeared
Louis Le Prince, the inventor of motion pictures, vanished without a trace in 1890. Thomas Edison quickly claimed the title of "first and sole inventor of cinema," even taking Le Prince's son to court to dispute it. A few years later, the son also dies under mysterious circumstances.
The true story of Annie Oakley, legendary sharpshooter
Anne Oakley was such a good shooter that she could split a playing card help edge-on, hit dimes thrown into the air, shoot cigarette from her husband's lips, and pierce a playing card thrown into the air before it hit the ground.
How Dmitri Mendeleev Developed the periodic table of the elements
1850 Dmitri Mendeleev walked almost a thousand miles to Moscow so he could apply for the University of Moscow. Although he was not accepted, he walked to St. Petersburg where he was accepted, And with that education, he developed the the periodic table of the elements
Terry Fox, a 21-year-old one-legged cancer patient who ran 143 days before dying
Terry Fox was a 21-year-old one-legged cancer patient who ran 3,339 miles across Canada in 143 days before dying.
Poto And Cabengo: The Secret Language Of Twins
Poto and Cabengo, as the two girls called each other, communicated in their own language. The twins were ignored by their parents and secluded from the outside world because their father felt they were developmentally retarded, and their unique language evolved as a result of that neglect.
The Horrific story of Ariel Castro and the Cleveland abduction
Cleveland abduction victims Gina DeJesus, Michelle Knight, and Amanda Berry were forced to live in Ariel Castro's house of horrors for 10 years. He raped and beat them until they escaped in 2013.
10 world’s most destructive and dangerous volcanic eruptions in history
Volcanic eruptions can devastate cities, change the world's atmosphere, and devastate economic systems. They can create molten lava rivers, mudslides, suffocating ash, and poisonous gases that cause chaos around the world for years. A volcanic explosion's effects can be massive, from its size to its death toll to its economic cost. Here is ten world’s most destructive and dangerous volcanic eruptions in history.
The Day an Israeli F-15 Landed with One Wing: Zivi Nedivi’s Unbelievable Mid-Air Survival
Discover the astonishing true story of Israeli pilot Zivi Nedivi, who safely landed an F-15 after a mid-air collision tore off its entire right wing. Learn how skill, quick thinking, and the F-15’s unique design turned a disaster into a legendary feat in aviation history
Blanche Monnier: Imprisoned For 25 Years For Falling in Love
Blanche Monnier, she was a French woman noted for her beauty, she wished to marry an old lawyer that her mother disapproved of, so she locked her in a small dark room in her attic for 25 years.
Inside China’s Footbinding Tradition: The Painful Ritual of Lotus Shoes and Bound Feet
In China, Lotus shoes were used to bind women's feet to keep their feet small
Inside The Mysterious Death Of The Famed Gothic Writer Edgar Allan Poe
Hours before his death Edgar Allen Poe was found on the streets of Baltimore. He was incoherent, wearing another man’s clothes, and unable to explain how he got there. The cause of his death is an unsolved mystery.
The 1976 April Fools' Pranks, Planetary Alignment
On April fool's Day, 1976, the BBC convinced many listeners that a special alignment of the planets would temporarily decrease gravity on Earth. Phone lines were flooded with callers who claimed they felt the effects.
Irena Sendler: woman who rescued Jews during holocaust
Irene Sendler was the Zegota resistance group's head of the children's department. She risked her life to smuggle children out of the Warsaw ghetto, place them with Polish families or orphanages, give each child a new identity, and keep records so that they could be returned to their families. In 1943, the Gestapo arrested and sentenced her to death, but she was rescued by Zegota.
The mysterious secret of Dr James Barry
Before women were allowed to enroll in medical school, Margaret Ann Bulkley studied medicine and assumed the identity of Dr. James Barry for 56 years while dressing as a man. After 46 years of service as an army doctor officer, her secret was not made public until after her death in 1865.
How European Rabbits Took over Australia
In 1859, wealthy settler Thomas Austin released 13 wild rabbits on his Australian estate. By 1920, their population grew to 10 billion.
Martin Couney, Saved Thousands of Premature Babies Wasn’t a Doctor at All
Martin Couney never qualified as a medical doctor. However, in the 1900s, he saved thousands of premature babies by exhibiting them in incubators at his Coney Island sideshow. Over the course of his career, he is said to have saved about 6,500 babies that had previously been written off by mainstream medicine.
From Flapper to Fashion Week: How 1920s Style Still Shapes Modern Trends
The roaring 1920s revolutionized fashion, introducing bold styles, daring cuts, and a spirit of freedom that still inspires today’s wardrobes. From flapper dresses to statement accessories, here’s how the Jazz Age lives on in modern fashion.
Xin Zhui And The Story Of The Stunningly Intact Lady Dai Mummy
A 2,000-year-old mummy of a Chinese woman, Xin Zhui, also known as “Lady Dai,” was preserved in 21 gallons of an “unknown liquid.” With her original hair, organs, eyebrows, and eyelashes intact, the mummy still has blood in her veins. Her skin and ligaments are soft and as flexible as that of a living person.
Man's Blood Helped Save Millions of Babies
Australian blood donor James Harrison has been one of our most impressive and valued donors, having donated for 60 years. Know his story, how he was a pioneer of our Anti-D program, and why this matters.
Did Gil Pérez Really Teleport from Manila to Mexico Overnight? The 1593 Mystery
On October 24, 1593, while performing his guard duties at Manila's Governor's Palace in the Philippines, Gil Perez stopped to lean against a wall and sleep for a while. He opened his eyes to find himself in an unusual environment. Gil was in the Plaza Mayor in Mexico City. They imprisoned Perez, but the authorities in Mexico City decided to release him and return him home.
Hedy Lamarr, A Hollywood actress who also a mathematician and inventor
Hollywood actress Hedy Lamarr was also a mathematician and the inventor of frequency hopping spread spectrum, a technology still used for bluetooth and wifi
What exactly was the US's 'Ghost Army' during WWII?
During WW2, there was a special unit of men dubbed the ‘Ghost Army’. The unit was made of artists, creative and engineers and their job was to create deception about the enemy. From inflatable tanks to phony convoys to scripted conversations in bars intended to spread disinformation, they used all possible tricks to fool the enemy.
Why the Brooklyn Bridge Was Once Crossed by 17 Camels and 21 Elephants
On May 30, 1883, a rumor that the Brooklyn Bridge was going to collapse caused a stampede, which killed at least at twleve people. To prove the bridge was safe, P.T. Barnum led a parade of 21 elephants over it.
15 interesting facts about Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II, who ruled Britain for 70 years, has away at the age of 96. She was the country's longest-reigning monarch. Here are some little-known facts about her.
