New York City, early 1900s. Italian immigrants were told they were too dirty, too dangerous, too inferior to be part of American society. Restaurants wouldn’t serve them. Landlords wouldn’t rent to them. Employers wouldn’t hire them.But when New York needed someone to dig tunnels 100 feet underground through bedrock and underwater rivers? Suddenly, the Italians were good enough.They were called “sandhogs”—the men who built New York’s subway system. They worked in complete darkness with nothing but shovels, pickaxes, and dynamite. Cave-ins happened constantly. Explosions killed dozens every month. Many died from “the bends”—a condition where your blood literally boils from coming up too fast from deep tunnels.The city didn’t care. There were always more Italians desperate for work. Because above ground, they had nothing. But underground, in the most dangerous job in America, they built everything.Every mile of New York’s original subway. The tunnels under the East River. The water tunnels that still supply the city today. The foundations for the bridges connecting the boroughs.Without Italian sandhogs, modern New York City does not exist.And here’s what most people don’t know: Those Italian families are STILL doing it. Third generation. Fourth generation. The descendants of the original sandhogs are still digging New York’s tunnels today.Because that’s what we do. You tell us we’re not good enough for your city? Fine. We’ll build it anyway. And every time you ride the subway, you’re riding on the backs of Italian immigrants who died to make it possible.Does your family have sandhog roots? 🇮🇹#ItalianAmerican #NewYork #NYC #SubwayHistory #ImmigrantStories #Sandhogs #ItalianHeritage #NewYorkCity #ItalianPride #SubwayBuildersView all 3,315 comments

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