Chain Reaction Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hungary

The Széchenyi Chain Bridge spans the Danube River between Buda and Pest in Hungary. It was designed by English engineer William Tierney Clark and built by Scottish engineer Adam Clark and was opened in 1849. It has the name of István Széchenyi who was a major supporter of its construction attached to it but is most commonly known as the "Chain Bridge".

There are lion statues at the abutments that were sculpted in stone by sculptor János Marschalkó that are similar in design to the lions of Trafalgar Square in London, England. During World War II the bridge was blown up by the Germans, leaving only the towers behind.

The bridge was rebuilt in 1949. The bridge has been featured in a K-pop video and the Katy Perry video "Firework".

Answer: Royal Gorge Bridge

The Royal Gorge Bridge is a tourist attraction in Colorado and a part of the Royal Gorge Park and Bridge amusement park. It spans the Royal Gorge across the Arkansas River and held the record for the highest bridge in the world from 1929 to 2001. It also held the record for the highest suspension bridge until 2003.

It runs 955 feet above the Arkansas River and has a total length of 1,260 feet from tower to tower. It is mostly a pedestrian bridge however some vehicles are allowed to cross, before and after the park closes. Large vehicles such as trucks, RVs and buses are not allowed to cross it.

In June 2013 much of the park was destroyed by a fire, including forty-eight of the park's fifty-two buildings. Luckily, there wasn't too much damage to the bridge. Only one hundred of 1,292 total wooden planks were destroyed and had to be re-built.

The park was closed for repairs and re-opened in August 2014.

Answer: Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge

The Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge is a skywalk bridge in Hunan, China which opened in August 2016. It was built to carry approximately 800 visitors at a time and was designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan. Unbelievably, many people actually do walk across this terrifying structure but that apparently isn't daring enough.

There are three swings attached to the underside of the bridge and there is the opportunity to bungee jump from it too. When it opened, there were up to 80,000 visitors recorded and it had to be shut down to re-adjust the visitor ticketing system and accommodate the intense interest.

There are some hilarious videos of people crawling on their hands and knees or being dragged across by other people. Every single one of those people on their hands and knees are braver than I!

Answer: Seven Gates of Hell

The Seven Gates of Hell are a series of seven bridges that were built to facilitate rail travel and transport in the late 1800s. They are mostly dilapidated and overgrown with trees and bushes and many of them are single lane to drive under. What's most interesting about this series of bridges is the urban legends surrounding them. One of the urban legends is that if you pass through gate one exactly at the stroke of midnight, a portal to Hell will open. Gate two has some horrible stories associated with hanging, in one, a young African-American boy was hung by the KKK from the bridge.

In another, two men were arguing over a girl and both ended up hanging themselves. Gates three and four are known as Twin Gates and there are stories of satanic rituals associated with these gates.

At gate six, the story is that a group of young people died in a fiery crash and the gate is haunted by a ghost car. Fascinating and eerie stuff!

Answer: Millau Viaduct

This bridge took three years to build and was opened in December 2004. It was designed by a team led by engineer Michel Virlogeux and English architect Norman Foster and cost $424 million. It received the 2006 Outstanding Structure Award from the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering.

At 1,104 feet tall as of September 2020 it stands as the tallest bridge in the world. It broke a number of records during construction, including tallest pylons, highest bridge tower and highest road bridge deck.

The bridge has been featured on a postage stamp and in the 2007 film "Mr. Bean's Holiday".

Answer: Tower Bridge

This extremely well known bridge was built between 1886 and 1894, across the River Thames, close to the Tower of London. Five contractors were involved in the construction and it was opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales. This iconic bridge has two towers that are tied together by two horizontal walkways.

The bridge deck itself is accessible by pedestrians and vehicles and the two bridge towers are part of the Tower Bridge Exhibition and admission fees are charged. In 2008 the bridge went through a four-year, Ł4 million facelift which restored the bridge to its original colors of blue and white.

Answer: Capilano Suspension Bridge

This bridge crosses the Capilano River in British Columbia. It's 140 metres long and seventy metres high and draws over a million visitors per year. It was originally built in 1889 by George Grant Mackay, a Scottish civil engineer and was made of hemp rope with a deck of cedar planks.

In 1903 it was remade with wire cable. In 1999 a mother of an eighteen month old dropped her from the bridge and claimed it was accidental. Luckily her child was not seriously injured. The bridge has also seen two deaths: a student in 2010 and a hiker in 2012.

The bridge has been featured in several TV shows including "MacGyver" and "The Crow: Stairway to Heaven".

Answer: Golden Gate Bridge

When this iconic San Francisco suspension bridge was opened in 1937, it was the longest and tallest suspension bridge in the world. It spans 4,200 feet and has a total height of 746 feet. It was named one of the Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers and is extremely popular with tourists.

There are walkways on either side of the six traffic lanes. The orange color of the bridge was the choice of Irving Morrow, a relatively unknown local architect who designed the shape of the towers, the walkways and the lighting system.

The bridge is close to the San Andreas Fault and although it was once thought to be able to withstand earthquakes of any magnitude, a $392 million project was initiated to reinforce the bridge and ensure it could withstand seismic events of any size.

Answer: Rialto Bridge

Originally built as a pontoon bridge in 1173 and called the Ponte della Moneta, the Rialto Bridge has been rebuilt several times and is now a major attraction in Venice. In 1255, due to the importance of the Rialto market and the increase in traffic, it was rebuilt with timber and given the name the Rialto Bridge.

The stone bridge that we are all familiar with was built in 1591, as the wooden bridge collapsed a couple of times. The stone bridge was designed by Antonio da Ponte and was so bold at the time that fellow architect Vincenzo Scamozzi predicted it would end in ruins.

Answer: Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge crosses the East River, connecting the New York boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. It opened in 1883 and is 1,595.5 feet long and 127 feet above water. The bridge is open to vehicular traffic and has an elevated walkway for pedestrians and cyclists.

It is a major attraction in New York, inviting tourists and those who want a chance to perform stunts. One such man was PT Barnum who took the opportunity to promote his circus while proving how stable and strong the bridge was. When it opened, he offered to have his elephants walk across the bridge but his offer was rejected.

In 1884 twelve people were trampled following a panic and Barnum was taken up on his offer. Twenty one elephants, seven camels and ten dromedaries walked the bridge to show off how stable it was.