Galata Bridge early 1900's( Permission from http://www.sihirlitur.com ) The card game got its name from the Galata Bridge, a bridge spanning the Golden Horn and linking the old and new parts of European Istanbul, where they apparently crossed every day to go to a coffeehouse to play cards. .

[United States Bridge Federation http://www.usbf.org/history.html ]
(Reprinted after ACBL)

Galata Bridge early 2000's

     Known bridge playing goes as far back as late 1800's. The word "bridge" comes from the Galata Bridge, where bridge players crossed every day to go to play cards.

(B7's note: I don't agree with the people who say that the word is derived from a word similar to bridge--  britich, biritch, britch, beach, etc.  Because the bridge players at that time were highly educated I believe that they surely could properly spell a word that they pronounced.. )

     The bridge in the picture is Galata Bridge. The people crossing the bridge can be the first bridge players in the world..
     Galata Tower can be seen at the top of the hill. It is located in the new part of European Istanbul. Bridge was a very popular game in Istanbul then.. 
     Later,  the so-called "kings of bridge" replaced the sultans of bridge. The first king was a very rich man in US: Mr. Cornelius Vanderbilt. Mr. Vanderbilt brought rules and a method of scoring to the bridge game. Later in 1930's Mr. Ely Culbertson published the laws of contract bridge. In 1950's Mr. Charles Goren added some methods which helped to popularize the bridge game. Goren was known as "King of Aces". Some of his methods are still used. In 1958 World Bridge Federation was founded. Today, bridge is the most popular card game in the World.

Not: The song below - is called "Katibim" which was listened to and enjoyed by the first bridge players in Istanbul.. You can listen to this famous song in midi format at:

Uskudara-giderken-Katibim.html

You will like it..