July 30, 1952: The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Opens

July 30, 1952: The Chesapeake Bay Bridge opens, connecting mainland Maryland with the State's Eastern Shore. At the time, it was the world's longest continuous over-water steel structure.

This bridge should not be confused with the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, which opened in Virginia in 1964. Both of these conveyances replaced ferry boat systems.

Stretching 4.3 miles, it carries U.S. Routes 50 and 301 from the State capital of Annapolis to Stevensville. It cuts down the travel time from the capital; Baltimore, the State's largest city; and Washington, D.C., the national capital, to the resort towns of Ocean City, Maryland and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

In 1967, a few months after his death, the bridge was officially renamed the Governor William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge. Lane served as Governor of Maryland from 1947 to 1951, and was instrumental in getting the bill for the bridge's construction passed. Nevertheless, as with the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, most locals still refer to it as "The Bay Bridge."

In 1973, to relieve traffic congestion, a second span was added. The original span carries eastbound traffic, and the newer span carries westbound traffic. There has been consideration of a 3rd span at the bridge's location, or possibly a new bridge elsewhere over the Bay.

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July 30, 1952 was a Wednesday. These baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Chicago White Sox, 7-0 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Lou Kretlow pitched a shutout, allowing only 2 hits: A double by Phil Rizzuto in the 3rd inning, and a single to Joe Collins in the 6th. For the South Siders, Jim Rivera hit a home run.

* A doubleheader was split at the Polo Grounds. The New York Giants won the opener, 10-6. They did this without Willie Mays, who was serving in the Korean War. Alvin Dark and Dusty Rhodes hit home runs, and rookie Hoyt Wilhelm was the winning pitcher, with 6 innings of relief of Jim Hearn. The Chicago Cubs won the nightcap, 6-2.

* The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3 at Ebbets Field. Carl Furillo singled home the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning. Joe Black was the winning pitcher, in relief of Carl Erskine. Roy Campanella hit a home run. Jackie Robinson pinch-hit for Rocky Bridges, stayed in the game, and went 0-for-2.

* The Boston Braves beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 2-1 at Braves Field in Boston. The Cardinals' run came on a home run by Stan Musial. This would be the Braves' last season in Boston. The next season, they moved to Milwaukee.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Cincinnati Reds, 7-3 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians, 5-4 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Dick Brodowski outpitched Bob Feller. The BoSox did this without Ted Williams, who was also serving in the Korean War.

* The Philadelphia Athletics beat the Detroit Tigers, 4-3 at Briggs Stadium (later Tiger Stadium) in Detroit.

* And the Washington Senators beat the St. Louis Browns, 6-2 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. In 1954, the Browns became the Baltimore Orioles, and that would be the beginning of the end of the Senators. The Orioles would benefit from the Bay Bridge much more than did the Senators, although the Washington Nationals now do.