44 Times History Went Off The Rails And Somehow Landed In A Perfect Photo

On October 2, 1932, The New York Herald-Tribune published an image that captured the curious eyes of millions of people. Many years later, that vintage black-and-white photograph remains a talking point. And you might recognize it… Or you might even have had a poster version of it at some point in your life.

It features 11 ironworkers perched precariously on a steel beam, hundreds of feet up in the sky. But what’s really fascinating is how they are casually eating their lunch, not a care in the world. And seemingly unaware of the dangers of great heights.

The photograph has since become known as “Lunch Atop A Skyscraper.” But it’s held different names over the years as people tried to figure out exactly what was going on, where the men were, and the true story behind the pic. 

Among the different titles it's held are “Builders of The City Enjoy Luncheon,” “Lunch on a Beam” and simply, “Men on a Beam.” As the iconic photograph piqued the interest of people worldwide, many tried to guess the location. Some thought it was the Empire State Building but they were wrong...

What seemed like a candid shot of a group of workers eating, chatting and smoking nonchalantly turned out to be a cleverly staged publicity photograph for the Rockefeller Center's RCA building. According to the Rockefeller's website, it was taken during the construction of the building, now known as 30 Rock.

But we might never have known that were it not for two Irish filmmakers who were h**l-bent on finding out the origins of the iconic photo. And the names of the men featured in it.

It was by chance that Seán Ó Cualáín and his brother Éamonn began their journey to uncover the truth behind "Lunch Atop A Skyscraper." The two were at a tiny pub in Ireland in 2010 when they spotted a copy of the photograph on the wall.

"Next to the photo was a note from a Pat Glynn, the son of a local emigrant, who claimed his father and uncle-in-law were on the beam," Seán told the Rockefeller Center Magazine years later.

"I knew very little of the picture other than growing up with the myth that all the men in it were Irish. So we were intrigued. By the time we left the pub, the owner had given us Pat's number and we went from there."

The men tracked down Pat Glynn, the guy who'd left the mysterious note in the pub. They met up and compared old family photos to the now-iconic image. While they couldn't find conclusive evidence that Glynn's dad was featured, he was convinced the man at the right end holding a bottle was his father, Sonny.

Around 40,000 workers helped build 30 Rock, and not many work records were kept, so whether or not Pat Glynn's dad truly did pose 850 feet in the air remains a mystery.

In their quest to uncover the identities of the other workers, the brothers also approached the Rockefeller's archivist. Together, they painstakingly went through dozens of photographs taken during the construction of the Rockefeller Building. But in the end, they were only able to positively identify two of the workers perched on the beam.

The duo turned their search into a documentary aptly titled "Men at Lunch," and while they didn't solve the whole mystery, they did manage to bag an award for their work...

A narrator is heard in the trailer of the film as vintage choppy black-and-white visuals take the viewer on a journey through old New York and the construction of the 30 Rock building.

"Like any great photograph, it sparks wonder," he says. "What kind of men would do this? What the heck is going on here? Who are they?"

The narrator's words drive home the point that one powerful historical photograph can indeed tell a story of a thousand words. While it captures a minuscule moment in time, one well-taken image has the ability to live on forever...

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