a reference to the nickname Galloping Gertie, the first suspensionbridge spanning the Narrows of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, USA. (A suspensionbridge is a bridge with a roadway suspended from cables supported by structures at each end with no supporting structures under the bridge itself.) It became a landmarkfailure some months after its opening, when in November 1940, the 2,800 foot (853 meters) bridge began to sway violently during a high wind, its roadbedflexing like a ribbon. With all of its buckling the bridge tore itself apart and collapsed. Prior to its collapse, even in a light wind it was known to sway, hence its nickname.