• Home
  • About
  • Privacy Policy

My Daily Smile

Life is short - begin every day with a smile!

Video: How they built skyscrapers without cranes in the 1910s

Posted on January 9, 2026

534
SHARES
ShareTweet

Want  to get a little something extra out of every day? Sign up for my Living (and loving) Life newsletter.


The rise of skyscrapers in the early 1900s forever changed the skylines of major cities in the United States, and soon after cities in other parts of the world.

Today we take the science and precision engineering behind these giant structures for granted, but back in early days of the 1910s they were on an entirely different level. 

There were no massive cranes that could lift multi-ton steel beams hundreds of feet into the air.

What’s more, the men who assembled those massive beams into the frame of a skyscraper did so without any safety equipment whatsoever. It was all guts and nerves of steel along with the strength and experience that came from showing up every morning and doing the job.

A while back I shared this fascinating video showcasing the courage and skill of the men who built the Empire State Building. If you haven’t yet watched it I recommend that you take a few minutes to do so. It’s a real eye-opener.

The short video below shows the courage and expertise of the men who built skyscrapers years before the Empire State Building was erected, but it also goes into greater detail about the construction process itself. And it’s truly amazing.

The incredible men who forever changed the skylines of New York and Chicago in the 1910s were brave beyond compare and the equipment they had to use to do it was extremely rudimentary by today’s standards. But they got the job done, and they did it well.

Watch, and enjoy…


Pretty courageous folks, right? How about you? Could you do those jobs, working under those conditions? I know I couldn’t. My hat is off to each and every one of those brave souls.

Want to learn more about how much (and why) the world changed in the 1910s? Check this out.  (#ad)


Advertisement

This could well be the best book that was ever written.
Click here to check it out at Amazon.

 

Categories

  • Amazing People
  • Animal Antics
  • Inspiration
  • Just Curious
  • Just Plain Fun
  • Just Wow!
  • Kids will be kids!
  • Life Hacks
  • Music
  • Nature's Beauty
  • Steps to Success
Copyright © 2026 My-Daily-Smile.com

Affiliate Disclaimer