Morning Jolt: What Led to the Collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge

WITH JIM GERAGHTY

March 26 2024

What Led to the Collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge

On the menu today: The bridge disaster in Baltimore.

Catastrophe in Baltimore

Baltimore is a major port city, and has been since before American Independence. It has a large natural harbor, which opens to the Chesapeake Bay. The smaller Inner Harbor is no longer used by commercial vessels and serves as the center of downtown, featuring the National Aquarium and other tourist attractions. Further out, there are five shipping terminals, located on both sides of the harbor.

To defend the port from invaders, the newly independent U.S. built Fort McHenry in 1798. The fort is on elevated land that juts out into the harbor, allowing clear visibility in all directions facing the sea. Under attack from the British during the War of 1812, the fort occasioned Francis Scott Key's writing the poem "Defence of Fort M'Henry," which was renamed the "Star-Spangled Banner" and when set to music became the U.S. national anthem.

Fort McHenry today is maintained by the National Park Service, with the fort fully preserved and open for tourists. It is very much worth seeing if you are ever in Baltimore. One of the most notable things about the view from ...

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