24 Old-School Industrial Photos to Awaken the Kid in You

Daniel Bonfiglio Published 07/12/2024 in wow

Rules are written in blood, and in no area is that more true than industry. Be it construction, factory work, mining and more, organizations like OSHA are in place today because people died in the past.

It doesn't take a genius to see that old construction sites are incredibly unsafe, but people worked on them anyway. Here are 23 old-school industrial photos that would give modern day regulators a heart attack.

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1.
Munitions worker being used to clean the barrel of a 15-inch naval gun during WW1.
2.
Construction of Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme – tunnel construction, Australia, 1949 - 1968.
3.
Hindenburg construction, 1936.
4.
Factory workers race on the roof, or test track, of the Fiat Factory in Turin, Italy. 1923.
5.
Forging press in the Krupp Factory, Essen, Germany, 1928.
6.
A tram passing over construction of the Piccadilly Line in London, 1903.
7.
Miners using an “aerial tram” to descend into the Kimberly Diamond Mine in South Africa, 1885.
8.
Two women munitions workers at the National Shell Filling Factory in Chilwell, Nottinghamshire during the First World War, 1917. The factory would eventually explode.
9.
The Chilwell factory would eventually explode in 1918.
10.
Workers shovel raw blue asbestos tailing into drums at an asbestos shoveling competition at Wittenoom, Western Australia. 1962.
11.
Italian coal miners working in Belgium around 1900.
12.
Employees of the U.S. Radium Corp. (Radium Girls), paint numbers on the faces of wristwatches using dangerous radioactive paint, 1922.
13.
British workers in a Sheffield arms factory, 1916.
14.
Construction of the Statue of Liberty, 1884.
15.
Woman holding a welding torch at an aviation factory during WW2 in Los Angeles.
16.
Coal miner and his canary used to warn of dangerous gasses underground, England, 1970s.
17.
Worker at carbon black plant, Sunray, Texas, 1942.
18.
Young Boy Coal Miner, 1911.
19.
"A Little Spinner" in the Mollohan Mills, Newberry, South Carolina, 1908.
20.
Brooklyn Bridge painters at work high above the city, on December 3, 1915.
21.
Young chimney sweeps. Hamburg, Germany, 1860.
22.
Children building barricades during Warsaw Uprising 1944.
23.
A child worker is happy to get his picture taken after a long day of work in NYC in 1924. A long day back then might have been up to 12 hours.
24.
The Hoover Dam under construction, 1935.

1.
Munitions worker being used to clean the barrel of a 15-inch naval gun during WW1.
2.
Construction of Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme – tunnel construction, Australia, 1949 - 1968.
3.
Hindenburg construction, 1936.
4.
Factory workers race on the roof, or test track, of the Fiat Factory in Turin, Italy. 1923.
5.
Forging press in the Krupp Factory, Essen, Germany, 1928.
6.
A tram passing over construction of the Piccadilly Line in London, 1903.
7.
Miners using an “aerial tram” to descend into the Kimberly Diamond Mine in South Africa, 1885.
8.
Two women munitions workers at the National Shell Filling Factory in Chilwell, Nottinghamshire during the First World War, 1917. The factory would eventually explode.
9.
The Chilwell factory would eventually explode in 1918.
10.
Workers shovel raw blue asbestos tailing into drums at an asbestos shoveling competition at Wittenoom, Western Australia. 1962.
11.
Italian coal miners working in Belgium around 1900.
12.
Employees of the U.S. Radium Corp. (Radium Girls), paint numbers on the faces of wristwatches using dangerous radioactive paint, 1922.
13.
British workers in a Sheffield arms factory, 1916.
14.
Construction of the Statue of Liberty, 1884.
15.
Woman holding a welding torch at an aviation factory during WW2 in Los Angeles.
16.
Coal miner and his canary used to warn of dangerous gasses underground, England, 1970s.
17.
Worker at carbon black plant, Sunray, Texas, 1942.
18.
Young Boy Coal Miner, 1911.
19.
"A Little Spinner" in the Mollohan Mills, Newberry, South Carolina, 1908.
20.
Brooklyn Bridge painters at work high above the city, on December 3, 1915.
21.
Young chimney sweeps. Hamburg, Germany, 1860.
22.
Children building barricades during Warsaw Uprising 1944.
23.
A child worker is happy to get his picture taken after a long day of work in NYC in 1924. A long day back then might have been up to 12 hours.
24.
The Hoover Dam under construction, 1935.

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1. Munitions worker being used to clean the barrel of a 15-inch naval gun during WW1.

2. Construction of Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme – tunnel construction, Australia, 1949 - 1968.

3. Hindenburg construction, 1936.

4. Factory workers race on the roof, or test track, of the Fiat Factory in Turin, Italy. 1923.

5. Forging press in the Krupp Factory, Essen, Germany, 1928.

6. A tram passing over construction of the Piccadilly Line in London, 1903.

7. Miners using an “aerial tram” to descend into the Kimberly Diamond Mine in South Africa, 1885.

8. Two women munitions workers at the National Shell Filling Factory in Chilwell, Nottinghamshire during the First World War, 1917. The factory would eventually explode.

9. The Chilwell factory would eventually explode in 1918.

10. Workers shovel raw blue asbestos tailing into drums at an asbestos shoveling competition at Wittenoom, Western Australia. 1962.

11. Italian coal miners working in Belgium around 1900.

12. Employees of the U.S. Radium Corp. (Radium Girls), paint numbers on the faces of wristwatches using dangerous radioactive paint, 1922.

13. British workers in a Sheffield arms factory, 1916.

14. Construction of the Statue of Liberty, 1884.

15. Woman holding a welding torch at an aviation factory during WW2 in Los Angeles.

16. Coal miner and his canary used to warn of dangerous gasses underground, England, 1970s.

17. Worker at carbon black plant, Sunray, Texas, 1942.

18. Young Boy Coal Miner, 1911.

19. "A Little Spinner" in the Mollohan Mills, Newberry, South Carolina, 1908.

20. Brooklyn Bridge painters at work high above the city, on December 3, 1915.

21. Young chimney sweeps. Hamburg, Germany, 1860.

22. Children building barricades during Warsaw Uprising 1944.

23. A child worker is happy to get his picture taken after a long day of work in NYC in 1924. A long day back then might have been up to 12 hours.

24. The Hoover Dam under construction, 1935.

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eBaum's Picks

1.
Munitions worker being used to clean the barrel of a 15-inch naval gun during WW1.

2.
Construction of Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme – tunnel construction, Australia, 1949 - 1968.

3.
Hindenburg construction, 1936.

4.
Factory workers race on the roof, or test track, of the Fiat Factory in Turin, Italy. 1923.

5.
Forging press in the Krupp Factory, Essen, Germany, 1928.

6.
A tram passing over construction of the Piccadilly Line in London, 1903.

7.
Miners using an “aerial tram” to descend into the Kimberly Diamond Mine in South Africa, 1885.

8.
Two women munitions workers at the National Shell Filling Factory in Chilwell, Nottinghamshire during the First World War, 1917. The factory would eventually explode.

9.
The Chilwell factory would eventually explode in 1918.

10.
Workers shovel raw blue asbestos tailing into drums at an asbestos shoveling competition at Wittenoom, Western Australia. 1962.

11.
Italian coal miners working in Belgium around 1900.

12.
Employees of the U.S. Radium Corp. (Radium Girls), paint numbers on the faces of wristwatches using dangerous radioactive paint, 1922.

13.
British workers in a Sheffield arms factory, 1916.

14.
Construction of the Statue of Liberty, 1884.

15.
Woman holding a welding torch at an aviation factory during WW2 in Los Angeles.

16.
Coal miner and his canary used to warn of dangerous gasses underground, England, 1970s.

17.
Worker at carbon black plant, Sunray, Texas, 1942.

18.
Young Boy Coal Miner, 1911.

19.
"A Little Spinner" in the Mollohan Mills, Newberry, South Carolina, 1908.

20.
Brooklyn Bridge painters at work high above the city, on December 3, 1915.

21.
Young chimney sweeps. Hamburg, Germany, 1860.

22.
Children building barricades during Warsaw Uprising 1944.

23.
A child worker is happy to get his picture taken after a long day of work in NYC in 1924. A long day back then might have been up to 12 hours.

24.
The Hoover Dam under construction, 1935.