Above map: suicides by location 

The Golden Gate Bridge is the world’s No. 1 suicide magnet, in part because it makes suicide so easy. People jump and kill themselves there, an average of 19 a year. In the peak year, 1977, there were 40 suicides. 

The jump is fatal 98 percent of the time. The San Francisco Chronicle’s research indicates that at least 1,218 suicides were reported since the time the bridge opened, on May 27, 1937. 

3 to 1, they’re men, 87% are Bay Area residents - exploding the myth that people flock from around the world to die here. They range from 14 to 85, with an approximate median age of 41. Some leave suicide notes; most don’t. An estimated 26 jumpers have survived, according to San Francisco Suicide Prevention and the Marin County coroner.

Beyond those numbers, it’s difficult to draw a collective profile. The first jumper, on Aug. 7, 1937, was Harold Wobber, a World War I veteran. Wobber turned to a stranger on the walkway - saying, “This is as far as I go” - and took his last step. Robert Byther, a 27-year-old Navy veteran, flew from Virginia to San Francisco in December 1980 specifically to jump off the bridge to protest the election of Ronald Reagan as president. 

In the ’90s, a suicide club was formed to predict the exact date that the 1,000th suicide would jump to his or her death. As the death toll approached, a local disc jockey promised a case of Snapple to the victim’s family. In June 1995, trying to stem the countdown fever, the California Highway Patrol halted its official count at 997. In early July, Eric Atkinson, 20, became the unofficial thousandth. His body was never found after witnesses saw him jump.

Above photo: June 25, 1982 - Robert Gotzmer of Walnut Creek decides not to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge

Over the years there have been seven attempts to build a bridge barrier. While the design and cost have been debated, the deaths have continued. 

After several years of controversy a Stainless-steel netting costing up to $50 million will be placed beneath the Golden Gate Bridge. The plastic-coated steel cable will be seen from only a few spots on the bridge’s walkway. Hanging 20 feet down and extending 20 feet on either side, it will be the same color as the Art Deco span. It also will cost $78,000 a year to maintain, compared with $500,000 for the railing, according to the district.