Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Langston Hughes, the well-known 20th century poet of the Harlem Renaissance, borrowed Whitman's phrase "I too" for his classic poem about the African-American experience, "I, Too, Sing America." (Read Hughes's poem.)
The Brooklyn Bridge was opened for use in 1883, two years after the final published revision of "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry." (Source)
Whitman had no shame when it came to self-promotion. When the philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson responded to the 1855 publication of Leaves of Grass by saying, "I greet you at the beginning of a great career," Whitman slapped the quote on the side of the second edition of the book. Emerson was not pleased to see his praise used as an advertisement. (Source)
Some of the best early reviews of Leaves of Grass were written by Whitman himself. (Source)