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
Jan 4, 2026Kings Mountain, Chugach Mountains, Alaska

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Sep 18, 2018A red knot on the Shetland Islands, Scotland
Sep 14, 2019I am the walrus
Mar 28, 2018Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve in Layton, Utah
Nov 28, 2024Happy Thanksgiving!
Nov 13, 2025Quiver trees, Keetmanshoop, Namibia
Dec 17, 2021Bournemouth beach huts
Dec 3, 2019It’s Giving Tuesday
May 26, 2024Methow Valley, North Cascades, Washington
Oct 7, 2019From the mind of Frank Gehry
Mar 16, 2025Happy Panda Day!
Dec 18, 2020A towering view of the Pale Mountains
Jul 30, 2018Children at play for International Day of Friendship
May 18, 2019A ‘city’ within Valencia
Feb 28, 2023Atrani, Amalfi Coast, Italy
Mar 17, 2023St. Patricks Day in County Waterford, Ireland
Jun 15, 2021Are you older than this lake?
May 19, 2020Loud waters
Nov 4, 2021Diwali
Oct 22, 2025The Belogradchik Rocks in Bulgaria
Jan 24, 2021These patterns tell a story
Feb 23, 2020An icy extravaganza
Dec 15, 2022Borovets ski resort in Bulgaria
Sep 3, 2020Tall, taller, tallest
Oct 12, 2023Farmers Day
Nov 20, 2021World Children s Day
Apr 18, 2024International Day for Monuments and Sites
Aug 9, 2024International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples
Oct 13, 2020Where can you find a red fox?
Jun 5, 2022World Environment Day
Jun 12, 2018Celebrating Helsinki’s birthday at the Kiasma Museum