Between 1825 and 1850, more than 450 major suspension bridges were built in France.

If a small part of them remained faithful to the Anglo-Saxon chains, the vast majority was based on wire cable suspension, Seguin’s invention.

The latter and their associates probably built between 80 and 90 of them.

From France, the technique of the light cable suspension bridge spread to Switzerland, Italy, southern Germany, Spain, etc.

However, a terrible accident in Angers in 1850 caused more than 200 victims: a regiment passing in close ranks as a storm broke out.

The combination of the soldiers’ footsteps and the gusts of wind caused the structure to oscillate uncontrollably, which suddenly collapsed.

This was a phenomenon that was poorly understood at the time: resonance. This discredited on this type of work, particularly in Europe, giving way to a new architecture of bridges made of arches and metal beams, then concrete structures.

However, their construction continues and develops in the United States, based on the model of suspension by fine steel wire cable, while introducing the more rigid metal deck.

The suspension bridge provides an unrivaled solution for crossing large spans.

The Brooklyn Bridge in New York (1883) and the Golden Gate Bridge in California (1937) achieved legendary fame.