August 16, 1951: The Delaware Memorial Bridge Opens

August 16, 1951: The Delaware Memorial Bridge opens, connecting New Castle, New Castle County, Delaware and Pennsville, Salem County, New Jersey. It is operated by the Delaware River and Bay Authority.

Until 1926, the year what's now known as the Ben Franklin Bridge opened between Philadelphia and Camden, there was no way to get from Delaware's largest city, Wilmington in New Castle County, to New Jersey, except by train and then by the aforementioned Bridge.

A ferry was established as a stopgap measure. Some stopgap: After debating whether a bridge or a tunnel should be built, Congress approved construction of a bridge in 1946. It finally opened 5 years later, bannered as U.S. Route 40 (which had been using the ferry). Soon, it became the southern end of the New Jersey Turnpike. In 1956, the Delaware Turnpike opened, connecting each State's most important highway.

The opening of the Turnpikes put too many cars on it, and a 2nd bridge was ordered. On September 12, 1968, what's now the westbound span (toward Delaware) was opened, with the original span carrying eastbound traffic (toward New Jersey). In addition to Route 40, the "Twin Span" now carried Interstate 295. Its 174-foot-high towers are arguably the most famous structures in Delaware.

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August 16, 1951 was a Wednesday. These baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Washington Senators, 8-5 at Griffith Stadium in Washington. Eddie Lopat was the winning pitcher. Yogi Berra went 4-for-5 with a home run and 4 RBIs. Joe DiMaggio, in his last 2 months as an active player, went 1-for-5. Mickey Mantle, having a rough rookie season, had been sent down to the minor leagues, and not yet called back up.

* The New York Giants beat their arch-rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers, 3-1 at the Polo Grounds. Jim Hearn outpitched Ralph Branca. Wes Westrum hit a home run. Rookie Willie Mays went 1-for-3. Jackie Robinson appeared only as a pinch-hitter, and did not reach base. The Dodgers had led the Giants, indeed the entire National League, by 13 1/2 games on August 11. That lead was now beginning to be reduced.

* The Boston Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 9-0 at Braves Field in Boston. Warren Spahn allowed 8 hits, but kept the shutout.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 4-2 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Ted Williams went 0-for-4.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-0 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Bob Friend pitched a 2-hit shutout, although he walked 8 batters, including Stan Musial once. Ralph Kiner hit a home run.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs, 1-0 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Ken Raffensberger pitched a 7-hit shutout. The only run of the game came in the bottom of the 4th, on a home run by Ted Kluszewski.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Detroit Tigers, 2-0 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Saul Rogovin pitched a 5-hit shutout.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the St. Louis Browns, 9-4 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The Tribe scored 7 runs in the 1st inning, in support of Early Wynn, knocking Ned Garver out of the game.