Trenton, New Jersey. John Augustus Roebling, a German immigrant, founds the eponymous company for the production of steel cables. These cables will change history, making suspension bridges possible, for example, with the cable being manufactured on-site. The first will be the Niagara Falls Bridge, but they will also be used for the Brooklyn Bridge. But John Augustus Roebling will not live to see the Brooklyn Bridge completed, as he will die of tetanus shortly before construction begins. His son, 32-year-old Washington Augustus Roebling, takes over as chief engineer. Washington Augustus will oversee the bridge’s construction, but due to frequent inspections of the bridge’s caissons, well below sea level, he suffers from decompression sickness and is left paralyzed. His wife takes over and finishes the work. When they say the Roeblings built the bridge…
