Are there really bodies buried in the Hoover Dam? Was the hard hat really invented here in 1931? And why was it originally called Boulder Dam? In this podcast we explore and uncover the secrets of one of the greatest engineering projects ever built. The unique and formidable Hoover Dam. Learn about the “Double Ugly”, “Hurry Up Crowe” and a cast of other characters that brought this formidable piece of engineering life. And find out why over 200 people were killed during its five year construction period.

At 221m tall, arching across the mouth of the Colorado River, resisting a water pressure of 2,150KN/m2 at its base, the Hoover Dam was the largest structure of its kind when it was completed in 1936. A sophisticated technique for concrete cooling was needed to ensure that the final structure did not have shrinkage cracks that would have led to catastrophic failure. Yet curing continues and though it has been operational for more than eighty years, the Hoover Dam gets stronger every day.

GUESTS

Mike Franklin, US Bureau of Reclamation

Alan Warren, Mott MacDonald

Pekka Nieminen, Sandvik