Related, the story of William Lyttle[1], the “Mole Man of Hackney”, is rather fascinating. Dug for years underneath his house and surrounding streets in London.

He was then evicted by the local council, the house sold, renovated by an architect and a well known artist moved in[2].

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lyttle

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks5QdYhvHWg

Why is it only men who have risen to the rank of Notable Hobby Tunneler?

Anyone with two arms is eligible to dig!

There is a joke about the male-centric allure of simple hole-digging.

https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/2029839-yes-chad

This woman is doing a very "unique"/diy basement/tunnel project: https://www.tiktok.com/@engineer.everything

An eleven year old told me we only know about the ninjas in Japan because that's where they're the worst at hiding.

Reminds me of this Reddit post:

“How can I get my boyfriend to stop digging his tunnel?”

https://www.reddit.com/r/Advice/comments/u3qipy/how_can_i_ge...

Growing up in Southern California we spent a lot of summers at the beach, and I can attest that spending all day digging a big hole was one of the funnest things to do.

I do really wonder why boys find it so much fun to dig.

I loved this book as a kid:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=the+diggingest+dog&iax=images&ia=i...

That said, boys also like trains.

and the boring company. tunnels and flamethrowers¹

[1] not

Be sure to read the article's link to Seymour Cray:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seymour_Cray

  Another favorite pastime was digging a tunnel under his home; he attributed the secret of his success to "visits by elves" while he worked in the tunnel: "While I'm digging in the tunnel, the elves will often come to me with solutions to my problem."

Many interesting stories of hobby tunnel diggers. I remember a news story a few years ago, a "tech bro" type person had a tunnel project where a guy he hired died (or hospitalized?) due to unsafe working conditions. Ah yes, here's an article about it.

A Paranoid Tech Bro, a Homemade Nuclear Bunker, and a Shocking Death - https://www.washingtonian.com/2019/09/08/paranoid-tech-bro-h...

I just found my new hobby.

Can remember when the Elton McDonald tunnel in Toronto was discovered but still a mystery. All the “experts” making claims of nefarious this n that. Turns out was just some dude who wanted to dig a tunnel.

Although not really a hobby tunneler, one of my favorite people on this list is William John Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, the reclusive 5th Duke of Portland who built an extensive series of tunnels under his estate. His life is fascinating. Recommended reading:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-duke-who-loved-tun...

http://www.nottshistory.org.uk/portland1907/portland7.htm

Colin Furze has a fun series where he tunneled around his yard a bit :)

Supercut video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RVLim5tVwU&ab_channel=colin...

Watched this doc on Baldassare Forestiere recently.

Amazing. He dug out acres and acres over his life in Fresno. Was raised as a fruit tree grower in Italy, and has fruit trees growing from down in the caves he made through to the special sky lights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUKRPoQKynk