Considered a brilliant feat of 19th-century engineering, the Brooklyn Bridge was a bridge of many firsts. It was the first suspension bridge to use steel for its cable wire. It was the first bridge to use explosives in a dangerous underwater device called a caisson.

The Brooklyn Bridge is world-famous as a masterpiece of 19th-century engineering and a symbol of American ingenuity and perseverance. When it opened in 1883, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world and the first to use steel wire for its cables, which was a revolutionary material at the time. Its iconic Neo-Gothic granite towers were once the tallest structures in the Western Hemisphere, making it a "cathedral of progress" that linked the then-independent cities of Manhattan and Brooklyn into a single metropolis. The bridge's history is also steeped in drama; its designer, John Roebling, died before construction began, and his son, Washington Roebling, became paralyzed by "caisson disease" (the bends), leading his wife, Emily Warren Roebling, to take over the day-to-day management of the project—making her a pioneer for women in engineering. Beyond its technical achievements, the Brooklyn Bridge has become a cultural icon, appearing in countless films, poems, and artworks, and it remains one of the most photographed landmarks in New York City, serving as a permanent pedestrian promenade that offers one of the best views of the Manhattan skyline.