Bridges have been vital to the advancement of civilizations throughout history, from the wooden bridge refuges of the lake dwellers in Switzerland around 5 000 B.C.E.to the infrastructure of modern engineered bridges.The objective of this paper is to present the evolution of bridges throughout history from the tools used for construction, to methods of analysis, to impact on society.The Romans used bridges to move armies across rivers and valleys and invaded new lands.During the dark ages in Europe, the art of bridge building was practically lost except for monks who kept records of the art of bridge building.When railways were introduced, new technologies, materials, and methods of bridge analysis were developed to match the pace of ever-increasing bridge spans.The introduction of the automobile in the late 19th century pushed the art of bridge building to new levels.This paper will summarize the history and the evolution of bridge building in Europe and the United States.