Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary - in pictures

The Golden Gate bridge pictured during construction in May 1936. The build began in 1933 and took four years Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

The 4,200 foot long suspension span of the Golden Gate Bridge was the longest in the world - until 1964 when the Verrazano Narrow's Bridge in New York opened. Today the world's longest suspension bridge is the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan at 6,532ft Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Workers on the bridge. Eleven men died during construction, 10 of them on 17 February 1937 when a section of scaffolding carrying 12 men fell through the safety net. During construction the net saved the lives of 19 men who became known as the Halfway-to-Hell Club Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Military biplanes fly between the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge as pedestrians walk across the span during opening ceremonies on 27 May 1937. The bridge opened to traffic the following day Photograph: AP

Maintaining the bridge is a full-time job for 28 painters, 13 ironworkers and three foremen and five labourers. Here Michael Scott walks above a fog bank as he paints the bridge's cables Photograph: Roger Ressmeyer/Corbis

An estimated 300,000 people jammed the deck of the bridge during a walk to celebrate the 50th anniversary. The weight of the crowd flattened the bridge's curved central span Photograph: Doug Atkins/AP

As of April 2011, 1,929,896,448 vehicles had crossed the Golden Gate Bridge since its opening in 1937 Photograph: Proehl Studios/Corbis

The north tower of the historic Golden Gate Bridge is viewed from the Marin Headlands Photograph: George Rose/Getty Images

The colour of the bridge – "international orange" – was chosen in part for its visibility in fog Photograph: Proehl Studios/Corbis

The iconic bridge has appeared in countless movies, from Vertigo to A View to a Kill, and documentaries, as well as on the cover of Roling Stone magazine in 1976 Photograph: Andy Clark/Reuters/Corbis