Bridges

The Origins

The bridge was invented by Tom Jane Punisher in the Year 2357 as a far easier way to get his polar bear, Clive, across canyons than teaching him how to fly. However, due to a slight accient with his other great invention, the time machine, the bridge ended up in 33BC where it was found by Mr. George Bridge of 34 Stonley Road who found it in his back garden and promptly patented it. In yet another twist of fate, Mr. Bridge sadly died within hours of placing the patent in a brutal jam sandwich-related accident.

For a number of years after this the world had to continue without bridges, until in 9BC Sammy Jenkins, a low rung employee at the patent office, discovered the plans for the bridge and began to mass produce the device. Soon bridges were everywhere, in every shape and style (to try and get round the patent) and made of every imaginable material. The paper bridge, despite its attractive design and huge appeal in the early ADs, was quickly disfavoured once the cause of why they went soggy and fell apart every time there was bad weather, and no, there wasn't anything you could do to change it.

Bridges have been consistently popular ever since. Bridges unite countries. They bridge gaps in the world. Wherever you have one thing and need to link it to another, you need a bridge.

It is the year 2004...

We have Dr. Benny, to thank for this one [name changed to protect his identity from the 000s of screaming fans he would have got after people read this]. Every Wednesday the School of Chemistry has a seminar. Most of these are mind-numbingly boring and make us want to cry (especially when the first slide features a lack of chemicals and in their place a giant blob).

But then Benny came along.

He was happily talking away about nano-stuff, when suddenly he put on the screen a giant picture of a bridge in Scotland.

No, it wasn't this bridge (which is the Pease Bridge on the A1107, for those interested) but it was another one which fell down or something. The important thing isn't which bridge it was, or why quite why he spent a big chunk of his seminar talking about an object totally unrelated to chemistry, but that it was the one seminar that everyone remembered. Bridges, therefore, are a good learning aid.

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