The Hoover Dam

Located on the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona, the Hoover Dam is 726 feet (221 m) high and 1,244 feet (379 m) long. It was built between 1931 and 1936 by the US Bureau of Reclamation and was named for President Herbert Hoover in 1947. In addition to supplying a great deal of hydroelectric power, the dam provides for flood control, river regulation, and improved navigation. In 1985, it was designated a National Historic Landmark. What was the dam called before it was named for Hoover? More… Discuss

today’s birthday: Herbert Hoover (1874)

Herbert Hoover (1874)

Hoover rose to fame for his relief efforts during and after World War I, which included arranging the return of Americans stranded abroad and securing supplies for civilians of war-devastated Europe. Elected US president in 1928, his administration was dominated by the economic depression that followed the 1929 stock market crash. Believing the economy would regenerate spontaneously, he was reluctant to extend federal activities. What event spurred Hoover to order federal troops to the capital? More… Discuss

this day in the yesteryear: J. Edgar Hoover Appointed Director of FBI (1924)

J. Edgar Hoover Appointed Director of FBI (1924)

As FBI director from 1924 until his death in 1972, Hoover built a more efficient crime-fighting agency and established a centralized fingerprint file, a crime laboratory, and a training school for police. After World War II, he turned to the perceived threat of Communist subversion with a focus that his many critics considered obsessive. It has been verified that he orchestrated systematic harassment of political dissenters and activists, including what celebrated civil-rights leader? More… Discuss