Here’s a story on how the London Bridge crossed the Atlantic and made its way to Arizona. This year is the 50th anniversary of the bridge at its new home. Yet the story behind the bridge and the famous move can be found here.
Born on this day, June 7 1761, Scottish civil engineer John Rennie was responsible for three important landmarks in central London: Waterloo Bridge, Southwark Bridge and London Bridge which, in an astonishing deal, was sold (yes, really sold) to an American tycoon in 1968.
“London Bridge is falling down, falling down!”
This was a popular children’s rhyme despite in the 1960s it wasn’t really falling down. However, surveys showed that it was sinking by about 2.5cm every eight years and, as a result, It would have to be replaced.
Ivan Luckin, a member of the Common Council of the City of London at the time, came up with what seemed a preposterous idea of putting the bridge up for sale. He would said later: “They all thought I was completely crazy when I suggested we should sell London Bridge.”
But actually, Luckin’s crazy idea was probably…
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