October 24, 1931: The George Washington Bridge Opens

October 24, 1931, 90 years ago: The George Washington Bridge opens, connecting Upper Manhattan at 179th Street with Fort Lee, New Jersey, over the Hudson River. Until the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco 6 years later, it is the longest suspension bridge in the world.

It was named for Washington because it was at roughly that spot where he evacuated the retreating Continental Army across the Hudson, to escape the British Army. Fort Lee was named for Charles Lee, one of Washington's Generals, a bad one. He wanted to use Washington's setbacks to get himself named General-in-Chief. Washington's Christmas victory at Trenton would end that ambition. Lee died in 1782, before the war ended.

The Tunnel that opened in 1937 was named for Abraham Lincoln because, along with Washington who had the Bridge named after him, Lincoln was 1 of the 2 most important Presidents.

The Bridge led to the great suburban growth of Bergen County, which eventually replaced Essex County as the most populous in New Jersey in the 1980s. In 1946, the upper deck was widened from 6 to 8 lanes. In 1962, a 6-lane lower level opened.

Today, it carries U.S. Routes 1 and 9, and Interstate 95. The State Line in the middle of the Hudson also marks the terminus of U.S. Route 46. Interstate 80 is not included in the Bridge, terminating at I-95, 5 miles west of the Bridge.

Through I-95, the Bridge is connected with in one direction with the New Jersey Turnpike, and in the other direction with the Cross Bronx Expressway, the New England Thruway and the Connecticut Turnpike. Through the Cross Bronx, it is linked with Interstate 87, and thus the New York State Thruway, accessing Upstate and Canada. Through I-95's link with I-80, it is linked with the Great Lakes, the Rocky Mountains and the West Coast.

The Bridge is a major entrance and exit in New York City for fans going to Yankee games. Many was the time that Yankee broadcaster Phil Rizzuto wanted to leave a game early, saying, "I gotta get over that bridge!"

Of course, these days, it's best known for the scandal that sank the 2016 Presidential campaign of Chris Christie, and led to him being the most unpopular Governor in New Jersey's history, despite winning 60 percent of the vote in his re-election bid.