He Brooklyn bridge has existed since May 24, 1883, uniting two of the largest cities in the world. For more than a hundred years it has been an emblem of the state of NYbut little is known who were the people who helped plan and build it.
One of them was Emily Roebling, who appears in an episode of the series “The Golden Age” produced by HBO, as a secondary character in the plot, which portrays the middle and upper class of NY at the end of the 19th century.
Specifically in the historical series, Roebling appears in episode five of the second season, where she is played by the actress Liz Wisanhowever the plot does not delve into its history or how it became part of the bridge that crosses the East Riverthat is why we tell you about it below.
Who was Emily Roebling?
Initially called Emily Warrenwas a woman who was born in Cold Spring, New York on September 23, 1843. Some time later, with studies in history, French, algebra and astronomy, something atypical for a woman of that time, Emily met the engineer Washington Roeblinga specialist in bridge construction, whom he married in 1865.
At his side, she made trips to Europe in which he learned about the discipline of construction. This way, Emily Roebling had the ability to get involved in the construction of the Brooklyn bridgewhich at that time would be the longest in the world and which promised to be a breakthrough for USA unprecedented in every way.
Years after the beginning of construction, the now Roebling also assumed the main position that her husband left when he fell ill with decompression syndrome, a mysterious illness for the time, which left him without mobility in his body, blind and deaf-mute.
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It was there that Emily became the third person in command, after her husband became incapacitated and her father-in-law died as a result of contracting tetanus from a blow to the foot.
The bridge construction process took more than 14 years, in which Emily’s management and decision-making were essential to see it completed; Mrs Roebling He fought against sexism, the corruption of politicians, as well as that of contractors, in a dispute in which he also dealt with pressure from the political class, which sought to remove his family from the plan.
Finally, it was Emily Warren who crossed the bridge for the first time on the day of its inauguration, on a journey in which she carried a rooster with her as a symbol of progress and prosperity.
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According to the book “Heroes of New York Harbor: Tales from the City’s Port”in 1899, at the age of 56, he graduated from law school at the New York University. At her graduation ceremony at Madison Square Garden, Emily read her essay titled “Disabilities of a Wife,” where she proposed eliminating laws that discriminated against women, for example, that the property of a marriage should belong to only to the man.
On February 28, 1903 Emily Roebling She died from stomach cancer, saying goodbye to the world as a woman who left her name etched in history.