On the morning of May 26, 1977, New York City commuters exited the subway and witnessed an impossible sight. A lone figure clung to the sheer steel and glass face of the South Tower of the World Trade Center. This was not a maintenance worker or a stuntman filming a movie.
It was George Willig, a twenty-seven-year-old toy maker from Queens, who had decided to scale the 1,350-foot (411-meter) skyscraper using only his hands, feet, and a pair of custom-fabricated metal clamps. He began his ascent at 6:30 AM, just as the city was waking up, and steadily moved upward toward the roof of the 110-story building.
Engineering the Impossible Climb
Willig spent a year planning the feat. He visited the towers multiple times to study their construction and took precise measurements of the window washing tracks that ran the length of the building. He designed and built a unique climbing device in his home workshop. The device consisted of two metal ascenders that slotted perfectly into the maintenance channels.
These clamps utilized the climber’s own weight to lock securely into place when pulled downward but slid upward easily when weight was removed. He also attached blocks of wood to his feet to gain traction against the building’s surface. With this gear, he transformed the vertical wall into a ladder.
Negotiations at a Thousand Feet
By the time Willig reached the 66th floor, the New York Police Department had mobilized. Officers realized they could not pull him through a window without risking a fatal fall. They deployed a window washing scaffolding unit to intercept him. Police Sergeant Kenneth DeWitt and Officer Charles Connelly rode the platform down to meet the climber. At first, the officers ordered him to surrender and enter the cage.
Willig refused and stated he intended to reach the top. The officers assessed the situation and realized Willig was secure in his movements. They decided to accompany him for the remainder of the climb rather than force a dangerous extraction. Willig even passed a piece of paper to the officers to sign as a souvenir during the ascent.
The Summit and the Settlement
Crowds gathered on the streets below, cheering as the “Human Fly” neared the summit. At 10:05 AM, after three and a half hours of climbing, Willig pulled himself onto the roof of the South Tower. Police immediately took him into custody.
The city initially threatened to sue him for $250,000 (approx. €230,000) to cover the cost of the police response. However, the public reaction was overwhelmingly positive. Mayor Abraham Beame recognized the climber’s popularity and reached a different agreement. The city fined Willig exactly 1.1 cents for each of the 110 floors he climbed. Willig paid the total fine of $1.10 (approx. €1.01) and the city dropped all other charges.