A photograph said to show an ironworker standing on top of what looks like a steel beam towering above a city's skyline has circulated online for more than a decade. Wearing a hard hat and blue jeans, the man can be seen standing with his feet hip-distance apart on either side of a single beam.
Some social media users claimed that the photo was taken in 1984 during the construction of Seattle's Columbia Center, while others suggested it was captured in 1980. One Reddit post even said it showed New York City in 1980.
However, none of the posts credited a photographer or media outlet for taking the picture nor did they provide any evidence that it was taken in Seattle.
A reverse image search (archived) showed that the photo had appeared online since at least 2013. Many of the results linked to meme websites such as memecenter.com and break.com.
Likewise, a Google search for the words "seattle ironworker columbia center 1984" produced no results proving where and when the photo was taken.
Zooming in on the picture appeared to show the man's foot blurring into the steel beam, suggesting the photo may have been digitally manipulated. If so, it would likely have been created using photo editing software rather than artificial intelligence (AI) software, due to the picture existing online for at least a decade (prior to the widespread use of AI software).
However, we could not independently verify whether or not it had been edited. Further, the blurriness of the picture makes it difficult to reach a definitive conclusion. Another possible theory is that the man's feet were on either side of a metal tenon, which would fit into a mortise to form a joint.
(X user @historydefined)
The International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers said that a search through their magazine publication, The Ironworker, for the 1980s did not return any information about the picture.
At the group's recommendation, Snopes also contacted the Seattle Ironworkers Local Union 86.
Because some social media users said the image was taken during the construction of Seattle's Columbia Center, we also contacted building personnel for the skyscraper. We will update this article if we receive a response from either of the above.
Several known Seattle buildings are shown in the photo's background. The distinct black one is Safeco Plaza, which was built in 1969 and was the old SeaFirst bank building. There is also a sliver of the Wells Fargo Building shown on the left of the photo, this building seen on the left of the photo, which opened in 1983. Lastly, the YMCA is the U-shaped building visible at the bottom of the photo. Below, the aforementioned buildings are shown with red points in relation to Columbia Tower.
(Screenshot/Google Maps)