The Rock Goes Quiet: Alcatraz Closes Its Cell Doors
On March 21, 1963, the last inmates left Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, ending 29 years as America's most infamous prison.
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The Bridge They Said Couldn't Be Built
On January 5, 1933, with America deep in the Great Depression, workers broke ground on the Golden Gate Bridge — a single 4,200-foot leap across a strait engineers had called unspannable.
The Day the World Wrote Its Rules: The UN Charter Is Signed
On June 26, 1945, delegates from 50 nations signed the UN Charter in San Francisco, bringing the United Nations into being.
Pedestrian Day: The Golden Gate Bridge Opens to the World
On May 27, 1937, some 200,000 people walked, skated, and danced across the Golden Gate Bridge on its first day — before a single car was allowed.