Workers pictured fooling around as they built some of America's most iconic buildings where one person died for every $1m spent

In these heady early years - when industry barons raced each other to see who could get their towers built first - workers had few protections. They wore no hard hats or safety ropes. But even inches from peril, some men managed to laugh in the face of death. These incredible pictures show construction workers goofing off as they built some of America's most iconic skyscrapers.

The most famous of these, of course, is Charles C. Ebbets infamous shot 'Lunch atop a Skyscraper,' snapped in 1932 of 11 workers having lunch on an exposed steel beam 840 feet above the ground.

Dinner with a view: These workers atop the frame of the Waldorf-Astoria in 1930 enjoyed some of the hotel's legendary five-star service before construction was even complete

Here, a worker defies death as he walks a plank between two girders while blindfolded in 1925. This took place more than 20 stories in the air

Hanging out: This worker takes a break 30 stories above the New York City streets

Hello there! In this image from 1931, a worker leans out over the city as he works on the Empire State Building. Five men died during the construction of the iconic skyscraper

Daredevils from the Jones Family carried out a sword fight on the edge of the Times Square Hotel in 1925 as part of a stunt

Death-defying: The performers may have climbed this skyscraper for publicity, but construction workers thumbed their noses at loftier heights every day as part of their job

Hanging in: Workmen had near fear of swinging high above the city - with nothing by a few ropes and chains between them and oblivion

Taste of his own medicine: A 1900s cameraman looks a bit unsteady as he hovers one foot over the hedge while walking across steal girders of a skyscraper

The daredevil Gladys Roy balanced on a rooftop high above Los Angeles in 1925 for a stunt

These four men are hoping to pass a test to get jobs as painters at the Brooklyn Bridge. Their first task was to climb to the top of one of the pillars. An estimated 27 workers died building the bridge

Source:DailyMail