Lunch Atop A Skyscraper: The Story Behind The 1932 Photo | 100 Photos | TIME

[@DOLfirst]

I can't even look at these photos without getting that anxious feeling in my gut.

[@robertthomas445]

Dol l I 2nd that!!!! Not enough $ on earth to get me to do that! And think abt their salary or hourly wage in 1930..WOW! Brave men!

[@Myview246]

Same.

[@vincenthiney7424]

Same here

[@Paulyfr3sh]

That anxious feeling in your gut makes you stronger at those heights. The Brain and Body work differently under these conditions.

[@TheVikingtropical]

Lo mismo digo!

[@biglo9889]

up on those beams. poverty was their biggest fear. thats why they did it.

[@crooksycollins4349]

BIG LO aka the Great Depression

[@abyteuser6297]

It's an awesome job too

[@MVP_13]

BIG LO yea it’s true I work in construction up in Inglewood LA and we aren’t closed down, it’s Mandatory to show up

[@moloch9258]

Aka the Big Sad

[@Nazhuk]

Big sad sounds cute

[@fosgatexlt]

I hear that the building steel was made from the same steel as their balls.

[@queenbulova5682]

FOSGATEXLT 😂

[@tonytuffers]

OMG haha I'm dying

[@OjamaLemon]

Nah man the workers werent willing to tell the higher-up pansies where to find metal that hard

[@danilyevh.2712]

They definitely have the balls to do this

[@tonytuffers]

FOSGATEXLT That was a classic. Now will the rest of you just quit, your not at all funny

[@MariaLucille-z8e]

They had nerves of steel and I admire their ability to construct these skyscrapers with no safety wear or helmets. One guy who looked like a photographer had a suit on taking a photo of the men resting as they eat their lunch. Truly remarkable.

[@deanosaur808]

Believe it or not, some people don't have nerves. We all have different skills.. some people actually enjoy heights 😅 Mortician is another scary job that some might enjoy 😱 Imagine being a first responder 😬 I'd rather wipe bottom's for a living 😳😂

[@lilac624]

Truly remarkable

[@jimrichenback8891]

AMEN

[@Benny-zo3qh]

@MariaLucille-z8e I believe they were probably not far from a floor, and the picture gives the illusion that they're risking their life to have lunch on the beam

[@uvupweweosas142]

Them: *smoking on top of a skyscraper* Me: *comfortably laying in my bed and having small heart attacks only watching this*

[@jorvanne2003]

🤣🤣🤣

[@missblink4611]

ExCtly my thoughts

[@eliseuhackbarth7003]

kkk. we became toooooooooooooooooo weak

[@uvupweweosas142]

@@eliseuhackbarth7003 indeed we did and I can speak for my self..

[@erwinjoseph1600]

😂😁😂

[@savannah4496]

I can literally feel the sensation of falling backwards just looking at that picture.

[@brenb2721]

😬🤕

[@chrisphil510]

u made me scream

[@Lightning_Mike]

Or forwards

[@rociomarquez3512]

My brain would make me do this.

[@jacquelynroe9036]

Me too! I’m built for a job on the ground.

[@ellev5401]

There’s no way I could survive 5 mins much less one day up there. My admiration to these great man.

[@veragray8104]

FACTS!!!!!!

[@ernestboykin3rd706]

Bruh I would have fell off looking down lol real chop

[@chrischampagne4307]

@@ernestboykin3rd706 no worries, pictures is fake

[@jussieronen3707]

Just think about the fact that fatalities were almost a daily basis in skyscraper building. Edit: not apparently lmao

[@goodgeogr4363]

It's a perspective thing nothing else

[@mooganstooker2419]

My grandfather was a bricklayer and stone mason from Sicily and he helped lay the brickwork on The Empire State Building. I’m very proud of that fact.

[@gabos7892]

This pic would have gotten a lot of likes on instagram.

[@teddycurtis2542]

it would've been classed as photoshop

[@SonplaysMinEcraft]

LMAO WHO BUILT THIS😂😂😂😂

[@capnskiddies]

It would have, indeed

[@ashton1306]

SonPlaysMinEcraft 😂

[@piperbarry7853]

MEEE

[@urmaker]

Their balls contain more steel than all skyscrapers in existence combined. Odd that such a flimsy beam in comparison could hold up under such weight. It must be magic or CGI.

[@nikoleass]

urmaker u so stupid dont know shit about metal

[@juliusfiorentino2837]

Ea zγ it's called a joke, maybe?

[@nikoleass]

Julius Fiorentino i d be trippin then sorry

[@urmaker]

I would have thought saying their balls contain steel would have been the giveaway. :P

[@ronank4837]

CGI in 1932?

[@nigelbarrett3602]

Im a builder in the UK and have this photo on my wall at home. These men are a different league absolutely superb credit to the construction industry not known but never forgotten 👏

[@nachc6459]

Bless people like you! Without you civilization don’t exist. Thank you 🙏🏼

[@Sssrramzj6my]

Stop lying

[@mariocooldude9092]

Hail 🙋‍♂️ to our white 🐻‍❄️ European ancestors...they built the greatest civilization the world has ever known

[@Calgac]

@@mariocooldude9092 yes sir dont you ever forget it

[@moonwalker091000]

I could not have said it better. This gives me chills and sweaty palms when I see them being so casual, just sitting up there, chatting and doing their job. Hats off to these extraordinary men of history.

[@freddiem8801]

My knees were buckling just watching this fantastic video. What brave men, I couldn't do this job for any money in the world. 🇬🇧🇹🇷🇬🇧🇹🇷

[@tommyrregina1227]

WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD . NERVES OF STEEL 🙏🙏🙏

[@bigradwolf5001]

I feel sorry for your family then if you were needed to do that.

[@tommyrregina1227]

​@@bigradwolf5001HOW HIGH WOULD YOU CLIMB ? ?

[@bigradwolf5001]

@@tommyrregina1227 As much as I need to feed my family.

[@tommyrregina1227]

​@@bigradwolf5001ANY VIDEOS AVAILABLE OF YOU SITTING ON ONE OF THE BEAM'S AS IN THIS VIDEO ?

[@faizan_blue]

That has to be the most badass picture of all time

[@cokonutraw8800]

Yes. A lot of other famous photos, you need the backstory to put it into context. A lot of other influential photos are shockingly famous for depicting human tragedy, suffering, violence, cruelty. But this photo carries its' own narrative, it doesn't need any explanations. This photo displays unreserved nerve in spite of the sprawl of social anxiety. It shows that the common man can achieve tremendous heights on the balance of character and fortitude.

[@jondoe562]

more than "the moon landing"?

[@pugg5ter542]

@@jondoe562 yeah the moon landing was probably more badass

[@ernestboykin3rd706]

This picture should be dubbed og'z of the 1930's SMH. U talk about having a set as big as the Whitehouse these guys had them real talk.

[@NATURALGAMING]

The bas ass picture of all time is Pablo Escobar in front of the White House

[@cardiganflynn4905]

Just imagine if it rained...

[@ezzyfiretv8922]

Larry Michael 😂😂😂LOL

[@matthewsmith2592]

Larry Michael rainout

[@duochirkznemesisiv8394]

RAINDROP SMOKIN THOT BOX THICC TACC

[@Vsauce_69]

Or wind

[@MelisaDiary]

They wouldn’t have cared

[@ceewats]

Not that they needed it but those guys get my Respect.

[@jcl418]

ceewats wow 501 likes and 1 reply

[@serbia991]

What about the mowhak indians that build the totum pole

[@SoloTravelerOffTheBeatenPath]

These guys made America great!

[@andrecanuck5656]

Yes, they did and they worked hard for the little money they got paid. Barely any safety equipment to even speak of. People today won't even cut the grass or weed whack unless they have goggles on and leg protectors, or they'll report employer to safety board lol

[@drivernephi170]

serbia991 What about it? It's not dangerous making totem poles.

[@clivebennett7985]

I'm sitting on a chair at work on a concrete floor and watching this is making my stomach roll. Bravery doesn't cover it. These men were unbelievable. RIP to them all

[@majbrittcastrupjrgensen2874]

What a shame, no one knows their names. What courage they had!

[@willydiaz9586]

@@1meancyberbully329bruh no it isn't that's possible

[@willydiaz9586]

also there is a guy name Robert Halleun who claimed that one of the guys was him and this was back in 1966 a few years after he retired.

[@The_Honcho]

1MeanCyberbully uh, plenty of steelworkers do this today though, of course with lanyards however. They take their feet on the bottom of the beam and use their legs to drag them forward while holding onto the top of the beam with their hands

[@justsomeyoutubecommentorwi4378]

@@1meancyberbully329 you smoothbrain lots of people can and have done this idiot

[@JaJa-vm9bo]

The man on the right side: GUSTI POPOVIČ from Slovakia (village Vyšny Slavkov

[@rodri79]

"Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”

[@nicolailinca]

I will keep this in my mind. You're right

[@bigtrappo187]

Dats hard

[@aj3198]

Ash1one Don here’s another one: “through action, a man becomes a hero. Through death a hero becomes a legend. Through time a legend becomes a myth. And by learning from the myth, a man takes action”

[@plshelpmeawkdough]

Rodrigo M. *im 14 and this is deep*

[@plshelpmeawkdough]

wantafanta01 yeah.. like Jim Crow and shit lol

[@justaregularuser79]

God, my legs turn to jello just looking at this pic. I like heights and thrills, but I doubt I could ever do this.

[@michaelrivera2212]

candiigurl7893 agreed, but it's a hell of a view up there I'd totally be down or up in this case

[@asiaborja7225]

Lol me too

[@samesame8502]

candiigurl7893 I would have fainted and fallen 😂

[@keithen8708]

candiigurl7893 I'd shit myself asap!

[@melflo4651]

candiigurl7893 -->>> me too, I had to look away for a moment.

[@dabraka681]

As a former scaffolding worker I know, understand and salute their pain, their joy and their courage. Unique job which not many can manage. Hard one and sometimes very rewarding one. I still keep some awesome photos that are, I can easily say, second to none.

[@2009shumy]

The guy in the middle: *I have to pee.*

[@Warclip]

Dude's next to him "Whip it out"

[@user-di4rm8bj2o]

He knew Trump will own them later 🤣 🏃🏻‍♂️💨💨

[@jacsbyjohannsanto]

Guy Next to the middle: I have to take a shit

[@blackbro1854]

Was thinking the same thing😂😂

[@莫比-q4r]

oops sorry excuse me ah my bad oh dear sorry

[@asher2297]

When grandparents said things were hard back then, they weren’t lieing

[@welchsbeanjuice8071]

Things are still hard today.

[@asher2297]

Welch'sBeanJuice naw we’re spoiled today

[@welchsbeanjuice8071]

@@asher2297 You might be spoiled but it doesn't even take a second to realize that life is incredibly difficult for 99% of people.

[@asher2297]

Welch'sBeanJuice we r spoiled cuz we got technology to do everything, and I’m also not saying 100% of people, I’m just talking about majority

[@welchsbeanjuice8071]

@@asher2297 Right the billions of starving people in Africa and Asia have technology that can gather food for them. Even here in the US there are tons of people living under the poverty line and do whatever they can to support their children. In today's world the majority of people live hard lives and that is an indisputable fact.

[@Chris-cy1dl]

*Anxiety has joined the chat*

[@JoeRymo]

@@user-hl9er9bk6y You wouldn't get it!

[@Gimbergp]

*Pusyness has left the chat*

[@ibram8787]

Balls have left the chat

[@guzmo3074]

Isacc Newton's Law of Gravity has joined the chat

[@jacsbyjohannsanto]

r/woooosh

[@chriscraft1859]

Working construction my whole life, I have this picture framed in my office, it doesn't need words

[@nicoleangel4383]

It's hard to believe that it's even real. I mean wow....just wow!

[@ox.mmariax5650]

I can't even go downstairs in the night without the lights on.

[@hamood818]

Me too

[@travydoyodirt5182]

😂

[@soullessSiIence]

Of course you don't, idiot. How would you see the stairs in the dark.

[@-mv]

What does this have to do with the video??

[@mattsmith1039]

Pha.x he’s comparing the balls of steel of the men in the video to himself.

[@kidpeligro7878]

I am also amazed the steel beam did not collapse from carrying all those massive steel balls at once

[@QuietSpecialist]

You're a little late on the joke hundreds made before you

[@kimjongun1073]

FatalFinality you did him dirty💀

[@moonbull3137]

FatalFinality for sure thousands

[@mikejuliet2619]

Wow ...Good one buddy

[@mz7289]

@@QuietSpecialist LOL

[@raulgutierrez4923]

That’s wayyyy tooo high

[@robertmcdevitt8338]

Raul Gutierrez Yeah, I bitch when Im up 30ft running my over head copper pipes let alone that. Haha crazy.

[@ceciliamoncada3224]

Raul Gutierrez, it is never too high

[@iamjimb]

As soon as I'm off the toilet I'm gonna be the same

[@NativeAmericanSwag]

What's the point of putting innocent people's lives at risk for a tall building!!! SMH

[@nobullshit9721]

You need to cut it

[@aliciafisher8511]

🇯🇲🇯🇲 these pictures are recognized in Jamaica. These men are a prime example of courage and skills 👏

[@JayyMoneyy420]

That picture is stressing me out

[@andyrudy8627]

I'd have my arms and legs rapped around that beam tight pleading for HELP!!! convinced I'm about to fall. I have terrible balance.

[@jessjlsy]

Same

[@alexanderyoumans1688]

Just wouldn't do that shit. They probably made $1 an hour. I'll gladly make a sandwich

[@NAMLE-qv2id]

Me tooo

[@patriciacaravella3511]

@@alexanderyoumans1688 in 1932 the annual income for an Ironworker was $581. So more like .29 an hour 😩

[@dustindodds4827]

Anybody else having anxiety issues watching this?

[@lmb1962]

My stomach is doing flips and flops and I am sitting on the couch. Wow.

[@veragray8104]

ME!!!!

[@Subiwu]

No shit

[@wildroseXIV]

Loads

[@andreamonk4545]

Absolutely!!😳😳😳

[@probablystoned]

Imagine being the dude on the far left cant get off that beam unless the other 7 move out the way first

[@drivernephi170]

MrFlux Pavilion That’s why he’s lighting a smoke to calm his nerves

[@kyledenson1287]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@SunflowerSpotlight]

That’s what I was thinking! That’d need to be me; I eat ridiculously slowly, so I’d just cause a blockage if I was at the front of the beam. 😅

[@doonsbury9656]

@MrFlux Pavilion I can see your point, but there are actually 10 other men on that beam beside the guy your talking about.

[@juraiiv9953]

Doonsbury r/woooooosh

[@BenCarling-z9l]

When men were men w balls of steel and lots of pride risking it all to support their family- god bless these amazing men

[@kennytic_]

one word for these brave men: RESPECT Update: Thank you for seconding, guys. I didn't know how powerful a word was to the society until today. 💙

[@opensprings]

I certainly could not have done it

[@allensaunders449]

Kenny James A. Cubero that's the way things were done then no alternative this was the norm

[@chitoim2332]

Just like keapernick🙏✊

[@TheChaz747]

chito Im naw Kap’s fake

[@whodis2625]

CRAZY*

[@rapinbatches]

How did the rail not break from the sheer weight of their balls!!

[@ragvirsinghhothi8848]

Feminists castrated them cause they too white and male

[@nuttybangerz]

I'm surpised they didn't get rashes on their balls from dragging it all day at work !!

[@luiss.3866]

Joke ruined. Thanks right wingers😔

[@MelonMafia1]

Can ya'll stop making shit political

[@PoopyThumb]

because their balls a gravitational pull

[@kentbenedict2005]

Respect to people who worked on building the Empire State Building.

[@JPKnapp-ro6xm]

The photo is Rockefeller Center.

[@adamknight7041]

@@JPKnapp-ro6xm Yeah but the point being the ESB is considerably taller then Rockerfeller

[@calunderhill7014]

Unbelievable..... UNBELIEVABLE !! Frightens me just watching!!😮

[@bailinnumberguy]

Whatever the back story, it's still one of the most iconic photos of all time.

[@dababy1234]

Ok bud, of modern history no doubt

[@JosephDzMo]

Apparently, the first person from the right is a slovakian man, Gustáv (Gusti) Popovič. He sent to his wife Mariška a postcard with this photograph on which he wrote, "Don´t you worry, my dear Mariška, as you can see I'm still with bottle. Your Gusti." Now this photograph is decorating their grave.

[@stellaqaustralia]

Oh that would’ve put her mind to rest! 😳

[@klodstvn1897]

Bullshit

[@Oberkommando]

SLOVAKIA IS THE BEST

[@manuelestacio1836]

1932: Men climb skyscrapers and risk their lives to put food on their table for their family. 2019: Men climb skyscrapers so they can be famous on social media.

[@Senor_Gago]

1932: they take a legendary photo 2019: they record their friends slipping of the edge of a skyscrapper and dying

[@dashboy4l]

Manuel Estacio it states in the vid it was done for publicity

[@cr144mc6]

There are still Ironworkers out there with massive nutsacks like these guys

[@gordonjamescowiest]

@@dashboy4l yeah the picture was taken for that reason, but he/she is still right. They did for their family, they earned money from building this, their wages went to their families. We don't know their names and yet and idiot climes buildings to hang off it for Social Media likes and we know those idiots because we're on Social media is sad.

[@ProdigyMJ]

1932: youtube didnt exist 2019: people making dumb assumptions about people's hobbies without knowing anything about it at all

[@mattiasala8194]

I'm an Italian boy and I'm working in many apartments around the center of Milan. Today, visiting an old woman's apartment, I was shocked when this old woman told me that the fourth man from the left was his father. She was so excited and proud of him. And I was amazed at how beautiful the history is.

[@gh8vh]

If you can find out and supply his name that would identify one of them.

[@DLC-sy7pp]

@@gh8vh He's telling lies for attention. Otherwise why wouldn't they want to name him and get into the history books. I see many many people like this online almost every day, just plain attention seekers.

[@SRose-vp6ew]

The only reason why you might believe people going to the comment section to lie about something so pointless to lie about is if you do that or you have pride and struggle with other truths when they present themselves to you. There is no point to lie about having met someone who knew. What self-interest would that bring? He doesn’t know the name because he probably didn’t think to ask or he forgot. Ironically, the world is a darker place than you probably realize it is, but what you think is dark isn’t the darkness.

[@DLC-sy7pp]

@@SRose-vp6ew Then why hasn't he replied to gh8vh in 3 months? I see people doing it all the time for attention. Who are you?

[@christopherwellman2364]

*her father 🤦‍♂️

[@EdsterIII]

These men had more courage than I've seen. Soldiers, men at war, they also are people who defy fear, they don't accept fear. They just accept their missions and do them without blinking. Wow!

[@veravaladez1525]

Unlike most men in 2022!!

[@_kk.65_]

this generation is to soft

[@borntoclimb7116]

And no politican cares

[@borntoclimb7116]

@@veravaladez1525 nah, hundret millions work hard in the eastern hemisphere today but no one cares, even in the western hemisphere millions of people work hard, no one cares...

[@stepanfedorov561]

@@veravaladez1525 Believe me, there are many courageous people in 2022. It's just that in the last 50 there was much less room for heroism. You know, easy times make weak people, weak people make times hard, and hard times make strong people, and strong people make times easy...

[@MarcosGarcia-qm6to]

*when ur job is dangerous but u gotta get the bread*

[@imperialguardsman5929]

*Faint Stalin laughing in the distance*

[@MartinQ-bl6co]

@@imperialguardsman5929 I like everything about you.

[@crimsontide420]

@@imperialguardsman5929 oh yeah yeah

[@GoonOnFire]

Uhm... you do no that just cuz this was over 100 years ago they still got payed in money rite? lol. not bred....

[@pohjantuulet247]

The man's gotta do, what the man's gotta do.

[@torhildsvendsen9424]

I will never forget this men.

[@mikea1114]

Am I the only one that is saddened on how much these men risked their lives just to feed their families?

[@Tjd1982]

It was the great depression, you did what you had to do. They look pretty happy they have jobs at all.

[@hearsomeevil9199]

@@jasoncutshaw8401 you've prolly done nothing even close to what these guys did

[@AnnaLVajda]

Well that was the whole thing about weighing risks was lack of options starve and freeze to death on the street or risk your life at the top no safety net? People who never had to make choices like that don't know what tough times really are if their choice is just off some restaurant menu.

[@mercurial1025]

Yes

[@Yamah12a]

@@hearsomeevil9199 says this to someone they have never met whilst also hiding behind a keyboard and sitting in a room they almost have certainly never left. Honestly why don't you open your horizon a bit you spanner.

[@loveydovey1532]

My knees are shaking just by watching this.

[@honestabe6841]

Exactly!!!!

[@samuelflores6209]

That's true

[@noquiero9354]

Soyboys or wat?

[@johnnytwotimesya9032]

Kyaw Khine I’ll make your knees shake 😉

[@GreyCrowe]

Fear wasn't invented until the 1940s

[@childrenofthesun471]

Not for the poles ;)

[@tigerhood6830]

lol nice one

[@ChodeMaster]

Because there has only been 1 world war. And just 1 war involving the U.S

[@Nathan_avy]

1960s

[@jakobbw6137]

riikerman have to have a balance. Too much common sense means you take zero risks Too little fear can mean early death Gotta 50/50 split it to gain the best results

[@leebloomfield507]

Absolutely remarkable!

[@viralbuthow000]

Great Depression was a hell of a motivating factor in these guys' reasoning.

[@Red-fv4bi]

Caleb Mayfield Are you implying that he’s implying?

[@lalitthapa101]

@Caleb Mayfield Great Depression was when America went very financially worse.Jobs were almost nkn existent.Banks closed.Business closed.It was a finanicial disaster.So these guys to put some food on the table for their families took dangerous jobs like these

[@sirloon3063]

I'm pretty sure the Great Depression happened during the 30's

[@lalitthapa101]

@@sirloon3063 wasn't the empire states building made in the 30s?

[@sirloon3063]

Oh crap, you're right

[@drakea.5816]

Two things: 1. No hardhats 2. They're eating ACTUAL home cooked food

[@Peter-zp3tr]

Magaret A. kr

[@Gnomelander1400]

I dont understand?

[@milesralls7972]

Yeah a hard hat would do a ton

[@kobeandgary]

Miles Ralls hard hats are to keep you from getting hit by a falling tool, or hitting your head against something and even knocking yourself out... They do a lot dumbass.

[@kobeandgary]

IMxYOURxDADDY that has nothing to do with my comment. I simply was telling him what hard hats protect from, as he said they'd be useless in such a job.

[@DrCHUD666]

You have to admit, TIME Magazine produced some of most iconic photos the world has ever seen. Photos like these need to be preserved.

[@xenostim]

This photo first appeared in the NY Herald Tribune apparently, but I agree!

[@JohnPost-o6p]

Democrats don't want it

[@flowrepins6663]

​@@xenostimif it was today they would replace it with blcks n girls 😢

[@Lyoko42o]

@@flowrepins6663 wtf was this comment

[@yeethers]

Much respect to these men. I work in construction and get nervous being up 40 feet lol

[@torremalku]

"It's sad that we don't know the names of these men" In a way, it allows them to become Everyman, without race, creed, culture or language dividing them. Almost any immigrant can look at that picture and identify with at least one of the men, and in that way, it forms a constant ideal of the national image, and what the US was aspiring to at that time. Even in 1932, this was sensational, and since then we have only become less determined in our focus to grow, drive and improve ourselves and more focussed on personal identity and wealth.

[@thatonesomali3217]

Goddamn become a poet

[@w0202]

Wow what a great point of view to look at it. Especially in times like these when we need it

[@pink_alligator]

I wish but sadly people are all too happy to go "I don't see any of them being literally black so then they must all be white" As if there is no ambiguity about race what so ever, Today no less! after being an interracial couple being free for some generations and we're more racially mixed than ever before, people are totally comfortable assuming based only on skin tone. As if it doesn't actually matter what we are, troubles me every time

[@liamjahdai]

No it was more like this “maybe there was a reason why there names weren’t kept or why they didn’t bother to give their names because maybe we all can find a little of ourselves in each of these great men”

[@GrievingForGrace]

Well said.

[@ankss4972]

My heart was pounding throughout the video. It still is.

[@highkit]

Mine is pounding all the time. It means I'm not dead :))

[@zafranjameel6577]

Let me pound y

[@shuandoyle7871]

That probably because your not dead have you tried dying?

[@thabangmpitsang5603]

I wouldn't last an inch of a second on top of those beams i will be all sweaty and shivering in my wet underpants

[@aaronwilliams6989]

I almost stroked out watching this.

[@brendalee798]

The detail of the photos are phenomenal. Never realized or thought how the photographers were out there risking their lives standing on only a beam.

[@stevethomas760]

I started as an Ironworker apprentice in '73 and I heard a Journeyman tell a young guy "hell boy I've been further off the ground than you've been away from home".

[@classic-kool]

35 years ago, I was a rookie supervisor in a brewery where a water line was leaking about 6 floors above ground. While we were figuring how to get a genie-boom positioned between the conveyors without taking apart conveyors and high speed labeling machines, our senior fitter climbed up to a 6 inch wide beam 75 feet above ground floor, and walked out another 50 feet to the job carrying tools and repair parts easily weighing 50 pounds... Billy Shields was 52 at the time. I watched in awe how he walked the beam, made the repair without a harness, then walked the beam back to the climbing posts and descended safely down to the shop floor. After that, I called him when we would shut our fillers down every week and let him pull a couple of bottles of beer off the line to enjoy if he wanted to. He was a stud.

[@theOneandOnlyhomieG]

To walk a beam without a harness or leading edge technology is something I couldn't imagine doing in today's age. Osha certainly wouldn't stand for it considering they were established courtesy of this picture. Lol

[@cherbrowne1637]

Wow! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing story....

[@johngullo9420]

I would have given him a case a week for a year.

[@classic-kool]

@@johngullo9420 - If I could have, I would have .. Whenever Billy was working on a job in my area, I would ask him if he had everything he needed. Occasionally, he would ask for a helper to hold something in place or whatever .. he needed the extra hands. With me he always got what he wanted, and when he finished a job early, he was done for the day because his work was always done right. I never remember having to come in behind him to "touch up" or repair failed work. Our workers always got 2 cases per month plus an extra two cases if their department was injury free for the month. My pipefitters were always taking home 4 cases per month!

[@MARTIN201199]

Thanks for sharing this story and his name, Billy Shields.

[@MrCofeebean]

My mans on the right had a pint of whiskey for lunch lmao

[@essamthouheed1459]

Derty Hairy must be Irish

[@Dan-zb8xm]

he was slovak. only man in photo to truly legitimately be identified. not irish, but eastern european slavic man. his wife give him bottle.

[@genxtasy9914]

shot of courage to be up there

[@liamryan7239]

I wouldn’t want to get drunk up there

[@keithen8708]

Derty Hairy 😂😂😂

[@samorayee420]

Word can't describe a photographer a employee who work there . Nobody forgot them . They will always in our heart

[@efudd800]

Did that photo send a thrill up your leg and grab you by the balls?

[@Fernandoh183]

I’m a blue collar worker myself and we don’t get the respect and praise we deserve. If it wasn’t for us, the United States wouldn’t exist. We Build America and We Build The World.

[@Moving_Forward247]

Thank you for your hard work

[@MariavelliKilluminatti]

@@Fernandoh183 If it wasn't for slaves (of all races) the US wouldn't exist. The tough truth is that America won't recognize the people that built the White House, only those that occupied it.

[@lovelydiva06]

Wrong if slaves weren’t brought here against their will to work for free, America wouldn’t exist, your not the only ones who built america

[@Kenny.G-33]

Bold claim you build the world, settle down 😅

[@charlesjensen7918]

Some individuals did die tragically. There were always men waiting below to replace them. That's the truth folks. CMJ

[@Div4Dante]

How often was there a fatality any idea?

[@charlesjensen7918]

I'm not sure Mr.Dante. I believe there is a memorial plaque with their names at 30 Rock. CMJ

[@BananaSlug911]

40% died. Like 20% became disabled.

[@charlesjensen7918]

Really. You sure? A lot of people will see your reply Mr. Slug.

[@rambo0071]

Life is tough

[@aliceinthelandofdawn9727]

I can't even look down in our double decker bed..

[@boruto1974]

Alice in The Land of Dawn Who’s “our” I don’t have a double decker bed. You mean “my double decker bed”

[@JadedParanoia]

Brick Owens They probably mean a personal being 😶😶 Family, Boyfriend/Girlfriend, Cat, etc.

[@lilpooh9708]

Purple Alpha624 Yeah, i need a whole entire twin/full size bed just for my cat.

[@JosephAliDeeb]

Purple Alpha624 cat would be most realistic

[@mltvk8769]

Hi fellow mobile legender

[@Superborrrd]

I got sweaty hands alone from watching this.

[@lisanewnham2089]

Superborrrd

[@saileshmeena8456]

douglas wahid hhb

[@melvinomarpalacios5140]

Superborrrd 😯😯😴😴👚👚🐮🐮 ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooolllllolllllooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooob xb b 😲

[@salijasalija6905]

+Melvin Omar Palacios zed the the Best at,, I'llq

[@carlosvargasquiros3783]

Superborrrd uuyuj

[@elekkecskes830]

Apáink veszélyes,kitartó munkáit tisztelet és megbecsülés övezi.Köszönjük nektek.

[@Kinobambino]

I would 100% get paranoid and drop

[@linksrepair2851]

same

[@MichaelP-ke1tm]

I would drop but do 100 front flips and end up surviving

[@steevrawjers]

talk about hash tag me too

@@MichaelP-ke1tm the only thing you drop is your pacifier.

[@TheDeepState2001]

@ you are gay

[@smoking-pliskin]

As a construction worker. I have so much respect for these men.

[@BillyReedMusic]

11 men spending lunch on a beam, 800 feet above the city of N.Y. I'd be losing my lunch. I just subscribed because of these iron stomached guys.

[@Bennysol]

Now bitches and soyboys complain about the air conditioning not working.

[@BillyReedMusic]

Benny C I wish I had A.C. in my car and home. Every summer I lose 30 Lbs. And every summer, I tell myself I'm going to try that Arctic Cube, but they sell out before I remember that I want to try one.

[@closgreen70]

I would lose my bowels

[@sh-bf7bv]

@Carl Haynes Fake in what way? Even if that picture is fake, what's your point? What are you trying to say? That nobody really built the skyscrapers?

[@deanosaur808]

That could quite easily be 7 men in 2024. Storror! They do their own photography too 😎

[@travisjazzbo3490]

Absolutely astounding!

[@jonathonmatzke8463]

I think it's kind of cool they're not named, because they represent all of the workers, not just those individuals

[@jamestaylor8577]

you make a good point actually

[@Rob_GUERRERO]

Very very very very good point

[@Njaewin]

My thoughts exactly

[@Rob_GUERRERO]

@@Njaewin have a good week bro

[@clevelandpearce9841]

Agreed good point!

[@prasad5703]

They had more guts than the people in the next 50 years

[@theexplorer7139]

Prasad Kharat As a millennial, I can confirm that. This was the greatest generation.

[@1181darkfire]

The Explorer no it was not, just because they worked without safety equipment?

[@Smithy250]

Prasad Kharat Not really considering in the "next 50 years" was world war 2 which they probably went to fight in along with many millions morr

[@yallugly4317]

Prasad Kharat You know this was in the 30s right?

[@riva9111]

Prasad Kharat they did it for money. A man does everything for money and survival

[@dustinpaulson1123]

OSHA be like, "I don't even know where to start..."

[@Johnny.Picklez]

@Dhyananda Sadhu OSHA protects people but also they are big pansies that waste millions of time and dollars, I don't know how to feel about them. Beaurocracy I suppose

[@Johnny.Picklez]

@Dhyananda Sadhu I know, it was just a general statement. Thanks for the history though!

[@Johnny.Picklez]

@Dhyananda Sadhu you too man. But I feel bad for the hard working people who have no jobs now, I know alot of food vendors who are out of work now. So sad, let's hope this passes soon because some people don't deserve this. (Some people do though))).

[@wooahh17]

As my instructor would always say... “yeh. that’s a osha violation”

[@vcrsalesman2606]

Thanks to the New Deal and it’s legacy we have lifesaving regulations

[@thewatchmen4920]

Changing a 💡 for the ceiling is high enough for me 😀😃😄 😁😆😅

[@El_HamBone]

I have looked in awe at this picture since I was a boy. For the last 15 years I have worked steel and iron. I have stacked 1000+ft broadcast towers and zip lines around the world with a helicopter and With everything I have done I have always known these men are the true OG's of the air. These men are heroes to me.

[@momoreview5555]

I am a engineer and my grest grandpa was on one of these photos (not the most popular) and he is my hero, because of him my grandma and my mom have a degree. Sorry for my bad english im from spain.

[@d3arb0rns]

how much u make an hour?

[@andresmontana4466]

Me too. Have that poster on my wall and I'm a tree surgeon.

[@d3arb0rns]

@@marybrown7203 50 an hour?

[@ront.6071]

That may be true but I believe this photo is fake. Hoaxes are not new. If you notice the outline of the workers, they seem to be surrounded by a white glow, as if someone used an eraser to wipe out the background right around them. This was probably done so that with the primitive technology available at that time, the original background of the workers sitting on a beam could be replaced with the background picture of the New York skyline. So I am guessing the photographer took a picture of the workers eating lunch on a steal beam, probably inside the construction and probably a few feet off the ground. That original background was crudely erased so that the picture could be superimposed on the new background, making it look as if they are hanging in the air, a thousand feet above ground.

[@rickbarrington]

No safety nets, no harness. Finally, the original OG

[@VirantRoss]

I get the chills & scared just looking at this.. 😬

[@justincoe4395]

Ross Best me to, I almost feel like I'm physically up there with them & Im so scared I might fall n all I'm doing is just watching this...so chilling

[@Grafafaizl1]

Justin coe 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@ffnendhgrgd]

Life before workers' unions

[@robotrobot4430]

Ross Best youre a troll

[@VirantRoss]

Ganke One Yea!

[@jasont7814]

I’ve had this photo framed in my office for years. I love the detail.

[@yourneighbour5738]

How do they balance themselves with balls of steel that heavy?

[@demetrius8184]

Just like beavers balance themselves with their tail, they balance themselves with their balls of steel

[@dZorroIII]

The balls of steel are what give such incredible centers of balance.

[@plocky401]

Those steel ball jokes keep getting funnier

[@dylanmmcgarvey7506]

Your Neighbour yo tell yo dog to stfu

[@deanosaur808]

Saggy nutsacks! One ball on either side of the beam helps them balance 😉🤣

[@popoymotmot]

What makes these pictures even scarier is the fact that they aren’t wearing any harnesses. Unbelievable courage these men have.

[@outdatedfarmequipment2702]

The hero and the coward are the same person.

[@hdcoletti]

Thank you captain obvious

[@philiphatfield5666]

Shoes were notoriously bad in that era. Can you imagine walking around in uncomfortable shoes up there!

[@AtortAerials]

Duh 😂

[@James-es1fg]

Harnesses suck man

[@johnwilliams2920]

80 years on, and I still watch in sheer wonderment and no less feeling of being sick to the stomach, what these men accomplished. If I'd had lived in 1931 and had the choice between working on these buildings or starving to death, I'd take the latter every time. I cannot or wouldn't be able to do any job involving heights. Any heights.

[@dstarboi9965]

I think you’d surprise yourself if you had to John

[@aaronwilliams6989]

Especially without safety harnesses like that!

[@ickster23]

You should work on overcoming that fear. Doing so will be a terrifying yet rewarding experience.

[@johnwilliams2920]

@@ag49521 Now that sounds like a plan! You and me both, fella. 👌🙌

[@jedsteelwell2354]

I'd of been a criminal during this time.

[@ginalowe1924]

No safety, no hard hats etc...Great video.. at least you are giving them the recognition they deserved.....well done

[@yamil.343]

They’ll never be forgotten. Their legacy is the amazing structure they built.

[@banebakic]

Ovo su radnici iz Jugoslavije.

[@LjubicaP]

@@banebakic Ozbiljno?

[@dannytinney384]

@@yamil.343 White men are amazing

[@homesteadchrish3107]

Thousands of years from know they’ll wonder how we built our structures like we do the pyramids. They’ll see these men

[@IgorYentaltsev]

yes, the structure they built is both ugly and useless. and they built it without any interest, just to fulfill sick wishes of millionaires.

[@FluffyBunny9002]

If someone started to fall, he would naturally try to grab the guy next to him. Dominoes.

[@roshantamang7176]

That's what I was literally thinking haha

[@Kinobambino]

Shit would be crazy

[@rw-by6752]

BRUHH I LAUGHED TOO HARD AT THIS 😂

[@blades2255]

I'm an ironworker I'll go in the hole trying to save my brother with me up there. Not even hesitate

[@runeman1672]

I swear thats what i was thinking

[@michaelmendillo4614]

Early retirement, just a step away !

[@DarthCookieKS]

Michael Mendillo both metaphorically and literally :v

[@terrellmiller4678]

Haha that was a 2 minute laffer

[@terryhawkins8191]

Michael Mendillo LITERALLY !!😨😱

[@SauceX8]

*Just a slip away*

[@nateellem4878]

Lol

[@RobertoGonzalez-id1de]

Thank you for the wonderful memories of ( 1932 )

[@GorlicBreadz]

It's so sad they're lost in history.

[@1997Bobson]

Videos like this are for not forget this amazing people. Wherever they are now, God bless them all

[@RUN_IT_UP_]

@@1997Bobson they dead

[@Rujewitblood]

Everything is lost in history, how do you think dudes who build the pyramids would feel lol

[@patrickpruett9109]

True but at least we remember their work you know. It’s truly amazing! Their memories of work is legacy and will live on forever at least

[@wildercerrate7295]

Were all going to be eventually

[@Bryanseas]

As a window washer for skyscrapers, the harnesses are my absolute comfort. I would NEVER do what they did! Wow

[@carlose6010]

You are lucky enough to have that choice.

[@Bryanseas]

@@carlose6010 the winds at such a height are strong. Id be nervous because of the sudden fluctuation of wind may get me off balance. Let alone eating and moving your arms while trying to remain still. Id be too uneasy to do it for a good amount of time. I tried satellite climbing for a light bulb change with my cousin who works in that field and there was a small portion where it was free climb and i realize i didnt need the harness too much afterall. I was less nervous as i thought until an abrupt wind came and i froze up. Ya ill pass on what these guys did 😂

[@carlose6010]

@@Bryanseas Pussified!

[@slumbdog5635]

@@carlose6010 So you climb skyscrapers? Im guessing not.

[@carlose6010]

@@slumbdog5635 No, not many do today. In the past, these people HAD to.

[@jeffreyknight3884]

These are true men, I salute each and everyone of you. I don't know your names but, you will not be forgotten.

[@johnr8820]

Amen

[@raffellorosenbergi9094]

Misconception what a real man is.

[@heatherbrown1503]

@@raffellorosenbergi9094 how

[@bharathkrishna9049]

Ne ethada punde.. Ne oralde peru kona.. Pari erakkn verun

[@ninjaragingpotatoes]

Yes I agree

[@yvettebonett8947]

I've seen this photo several times & at first I had thought it was fake, then found out it was actually real, and now I found out the story behind it! which is incredible. Thanks for this mini documentary! :)

[@user-hj4uo7py5m]

These men are real men... not gangbanger, not pimps, not fame seeker obsessors.. real men who work for their living to get through life. To provide for their Loved ones. To take responsibility of work needed to be done. These are real men.

[@sid1820]

LumberJack dnt forget not opioid addicted idiots that are slowly breeding themselves out of existence.

[@sjsingh2840]

LumberJack 💯👌

[@Tobias.Harris]

The irony

[@user-hj4uo7py5m]

IRON

[@fromthebackseat4865]

These real men were killed at rates unprecedented from falling because of terrible safety procedures. Don’t glorify this.

[@Ladyblake118]

Seeing this makes my knees go weak with anxiety! 🫣

[@VG-or1nu]

The hardest workers earn the least amount of money

[@axelsoncarla]

Rock Stone welcome to the women’s world

[@juliaj7939]

@@axelsoncarla Sorry I'm a woman but I don't see "feminists" wanted all garbage workers, cops, construction workers, war draft etc to be 50% female? It's not equality if you only fight for more women CEOs and other indoor "glass ceiling" jobs.

[@FabledFiend]

@@axelsoncarlasay that to the men working in the coal mines... or the men who climbs radio towers to change light bulbs. Some of them are over 400 meters tall.

[@ralphmasucci9005]

Not necessarily. Being a programmer is really tough work but u do get paid alot

[@ricardoalves9605]

Rock Stone I'd they earned more then the people hiring them they wouldn't be hired in the first place

[@gabrielhicks8043]

3:17 that photo is insane. He is balancing himself on literal inches of beam.

[@BK_2016sr5]

thomas kelly. He took pics of Marilyn Monroe too later on. He was very famous and brave

[@bobdole7292]

40% of the men who did this job died on the job

[@mountainguyed67]

@@bobdole7292 Source???

[@bobdole7292]

@@mountainguyed67 kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXWxZZZorNOraac Go to 1:20 “These jobs are so dangerous 2 out of 5 workers fall to their deaths or end up disabled.” I guess I said it wrong because 40% don’t die but 40% either fall to their death or become disabled. Assuming most of the disabilities would be from falling that isn’t to the ground.. falling from a beam to a lower portion of the work area or something

[@Rylopero]

@@bobdole7292 people got real quiet after you dished out a source 😂

[@irenemar]

Magnificent History Doc. Thank you very much. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 To the anonimous guys, 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💐💐♥️

[@letsgotomarsman]

Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.

[@samyway3514]

LetsGoToMarsMan genius comment, I hope that's your original comment.

[@jaspervandenbosch3838]

samy way It's not

[@SoloTravelerOffTheBeatenPath]

So we're clearly in the "weak men" period right now.. Nothing but soyboy cucks roaming the streets of New York!

[@dixoncidermouth7063]

LetsGoToMarsMan It's an constant cycle.

[@jerardogarcia4337]

samy way it’s a quote search it up

[@Snerff]

Americans back then: I can build a sky scraper without shedding a single drop of sweat Americans now: Whaddya mean imma not allowed in the walmart

[@chelseacco6]

🤣 "Allowed in the Walmart"

[@fornax5798]

eVoLuTiOn

[@DIY_DISASTERZ]

Fornax it’s evolving. Just backwards.

[@Thatguy-ft-dog]

@@DIY_DISASTERZ i do want to point out that gen z has no part in this and therefore is the best generation for having patience.

[@randyblackburn9765]

Plenty of sweating up on the iron , the Red Iron heats up like a stove

[@Nutellaa_1]

It’s amazing how these guys were able to build skyscrapers with the limited tech they had in the 30s. Outstanding👌🏼👏

[@jamestuck90]

Its 1930, not 1550.

[@Nutellaa_1]

Hiro The Hero I think u missed my point...

[@COLDoCLINCHER37]

Not that hard just steel beams. Rail roads were more impressive at this point.

[@soullessSiIence]

You only need basic engineering and brute force to build something. It's not like fusing particles.

[@Anthony-qg7xp]

@@soullessSiIence idiot

[@dan27music]

What strikes me about the picture is not only the courage to sit there, but the trust they have in one another, to sit there beside their neighbours, and trust that they are coordinated, will behave and not do anything stupid, and not fall and pull others down with them.

[@lawerancelanham]

It's always, always the little guys who actually do the work...who are forgotten. Always... but it should not be!

[@graemesydney38]

No man is an island unto himself.....

[@ArJayDM]

3:18 wtf ? This guys the most savage of all..

[@anon2414]

0:14 na the guy on the right is the most Savage...the photographer you talked about can hold himself with his knees...this guy 0:14 has nothing but balance at the edge

[@Sevan_UP]

ArJayDM the background almost looks like cgi

[@chrisjames4507]

ArJayDM at worst it would be a drastic nut shot

[@DoubleDown310]

@@anon2414 Yeah, he's standing on the end of the beam, while it's swaying back and forth. Crazy!!

[@DavidThompson-yr1re]

lvitela24 He's holding on to a cable. I had to look a couple times.

[@queenbulova5682]

The jobs men and women did back then to support thier families, without safety equipment and life insurance respect to all of them. 😮

[@yeetboi5272]

CHERISE SCANTLEBURY it’s was only men doing these dangerous jobs. Women were at home or doing something like working at a restaurant

[@queenbulova5682]

Jacob Greeson you don't know that, women had jobs in the industrial and commercial sector. Women worked just as hard as men to support their families, especially the men who where foreigners and had to leave their common-law wife/wife in their country to work abroad, in most cases the wife had to work to also help provide for their children while their common-law husband's /husband's work abroad.

[@yeetboi5272]

CHERISE SCANTLEBURY sorry but it’s a fact. Stay at home women vs hard working men. Deal with it

[@queenbulova5682]

Jacob Greeson if you're talking about the females in your family, well then that explains your perspective. All women didn't stay home.😛

[@andrewf602]

CHERISE SCANTLEBURY You don't know shit, women didn't have these jobs back then. Men built the world. Almost every brick you see is something that a man placed. The golden gate bridge is something men made. 99% of the construction made in the world is by men. Its a fact. Men are biologically more strong and work dangerous jobs. While women biologically care for kids and make food. Sorry, but it's true. Now don't go spit bullshit and I want to see facts.

[@user-yf6zz3cl8i]

That hats off pic. You can see it in their faces. Those were real men. Men to admire