On June 10, 2000, the Millennium Bridge, a new footbridge over the River Thames in London, England, was opened to the public. However, after only two days, it had to be closed to traffic for safety reasons. On the opening day, in fact, so many people were crossing it at the same time that unexpected sideways oscillations of the bridge were observed. Further investigations indicated that the oscillation was caused by lateral forces produced by the synchronization of steps taken...