Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California Jan 4, 2024

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California

An iconic feat of engineering, the Golden Gate Bridge stands like a sentinel at the entrance to San Francisco Bay. Pictured here blanketed by fog above the waters of the Golden Gate Strait, its towers, adorned with Art Deco elements, reach a height of 746 feet. The bridge opened in 1937, thanks to the efforts of engineer Joseph Strauss, architect Irving Morrow, and others who wanted to connect San Francisco to Marin County. It wasn"t an easy vision to accomplish during the Great Depression, but the investment paid off as its construction created thousands of jobs and boosted growth. It was Morrow who picked the striking color, International Orange, an unusual choice at the time when many bridges were gray or black. He felt it would contrast well with the surrounding hills, sky, ocean, and fog. The Golden Gate Bridge, a testament to human innovation, is a timeless masterpiece blending functionality with beauty.

© Jim Patterson/Tandem Stills + Motion

palette

Today in History

Jan 4, 2019Observing World Braille Day in Bavaria
Jan 4, 2020Celebrating whales—and a whale of a tale
Jan 4, 2021Sparkling ice diamonds on a black sandy beach
Jan 4, 2022Borrego Badlands
Jan 4, 2023Earth at Perihelion
Jan 4, 2025Bản Giốc–Detian Falls, Vietnam

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jul 25, 2019Jane’s Carousel delights
Dec 29, 2019Helloooooo, Innsbruck
Nov 10, 2018The Badlands celebrates a milestone
Aug 19, 2025Solar Impulse 2 in Honolulu
Nov 6, 2025Celebrating Yi Peng
Nov 10, 2021Cumberland Island National Seashore
Jan 23, 2025Sundance Film Festival
Nov 26, 2025World Olive Tree Day
Oct 21, 2023International Archaeology Day
Jul 6, 2025Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park, California
Sep 25, 2020One for the books
Jul 13, 2020Welcome to the Hoh
Sep 19, 2022State funeral of Queen Elizabeth II
Jul 17, 2022The Wave at Coyote Buttes
Feb 21, 2024Yosemite National Park, California
Oct 2, 2023World Architecture Day
Dec 5, 2022Saint Nicholas Day in Verbier, Switzerland
Jul 31, 2022Noctilucent clouds
Mar 31, 2023Steyr River, Austria
Feb 1, 2018Stuben am Arlberg, Austria
Jul 3, 2024World Meerkat Day
Mar 17, 2018Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Sep 11, 2020In honor of those we ve lost
Apr 23, 2024World Book Day
Aug 6, 2023Kagami-ike, Nagano, Japan
May 25, 2023Saksun, Faroe Islands, Denmark
Jan 31, 2022Incense making, Vietnam
Oct 4, 2021Hey neighbor, it s World Space Week!
Oct 15, 2023European hedgehog
Nov 21, 2025World Hello Day