One of the things to come out of the Federal Writers Program was a book entitled Voices From Slavery. Realizing that there were still Americans alive who had been slaves before the Civil War, WPA employees interviewed 100 of them and recorded their words almost verbatim. The variety of experiences and their perspectives from many decades later absolutely fascinated me. It's available from Amazon, possibly elsewhere as well. It's a valuable resource for every student of United States history.
My grandfather was one of the engineers on the hoover dam. His responsibilities was the form work , cement reinforcement and the design of the cement segment
Fan of Blue Ridge Parkway here! My brother lives close to it and I have many fun memories of visiting them and enjoying an afternoon up in the mountains traveling on it.
The video shown is of the Wilson Dam. While now operated by TVA, they didn’t build it. They just took over operation. It was built during World War I as part of a munitions plant.
The WPA also built numerous National Guard armories, including one near where I grew up and went on to serve out of in the early Oughts - Teaneck Armory, home of 104th Engineer BN (Inactive), 50th Main Support BN (Inactive), and the 250th Brigade Support BN.
There were a few of those still around in rural Oklahoma when I was a kid. They were the gold standard of outhouses, usually built of stone, brick, or concrete.
They built an entire town to house the workers at the Hoover damn. It was called Boulder City and was probably worthy of a "Side project?" itself. It can be found by Googling "city built to house workers at the Hoover Dam" How long did it take you to find "Ragtown"?
One summer growing up my mother, sister, and I went the length of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We camped in our van and went on detours to see the sights. Lasted about two weeks.
We should all seriously get a different channel to do a bit on Simon. Could you imagine hearing, " What if Simon Whistler only had one TH-cam channel?" for like an April Fool's joke? That'd be epic! 🤣🤣
When I was a kid, the tour of Hoover Dam took you down across the power floor. When I was an adult, the day they used a helicopter to run the first line for the new bridge bypass, the tour only took you to an observation platform above the power floor. When I was 13 I got a tour of Niagara Mohawk, including the power floor, when they weren’t supposed to have anyone under 18 in there.
Awesome video on these projects! For another topic to cover, the Federal Columbia River Power System would be an excellent topic! From the height of it's headwaters in Canada (2690 ft), to it's mouth at the Pacific Ocean, the Columbia River falls the furthest of the major rivers in North America. This makes the Columbia ideal for hydroelectric power for the Pacific Northwest. Much more I could say, but you all would say it better :)
My great grandfather, Sam Crammer Johnson, was a supervisor on the Blue Ridge Parkway, The parkway has been a boon for the opening of the high country in North Carolina and Virginia. It has paid for itself many times over.
Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramack, MI was built by the WPA in 1936 and was opened by FDR himself as a campaign event. For years it functioned as a high school football and soccer stadium and was recently renovated by Detroit City FC to be their current home as a pro soccer team. If no one else was gonna mention it, I thought I should.
How about the great snowy hyrdo scheme in Australia. Its not a huge project in the scale of the world. But for us Aussies, its something of great importance. Give it a crack. Come on commenters help me out up vote the shit out of this.
WPA created stunning accomplishments, I'm from rural PA. This last year we gave away much more than was spent (in equivalent $) for the WPA, to have people stay home and complain. Grrrrrr.
Have you made any videos on the Appalachian Trail?? I have watched So many of your videos on your channels but was thinking I could have missed it among all the others.!
The construction of the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River was the crown jewel of President Roosevelt’s public works projects in the Pacific Northwest. It is still in the top ten of the world's largest instantaneous generating capacity dams.
You should check out another depression small project but big for the state of Nebraska. The creation of the "Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District. It brought surface water to approx. 120,000 acres in the southern part of the state.
The Blue Ridge Parkway looks like it meanders through the hills because when you drive on it, you meander along at an average speed of 45 mph. Gives you time to soak it all, all, all in. 🧐 Why do we drive on parkways and park in driveways?🥸
So basically the opposite of the Nürburgring? That also has scenic views and beautiful rolling hills but also 95 year olds in seasoned Willis Jeeps being overtaken by 23 year old .com-dudes in GT-Rs doing 140 miles per hour while streaming ^^
Came back looking for TVA information, and would be interesting to see if you have any more updates or thoughts after the dam failures/issues during Hurricane Helene
ardnacrusha dam was the largest Dam in the world when built and produced enough power at the time to power the island of Ireland twice over. It would make a great mega projects video.
Yes indeed Diarmaid, the Shannon Scheme was the first ever state organised and state run attempt at constructing a hydro electric dam and controlling river flooding. The success of the Shannon Scheme and it's dam at Ardnacrusha was one of the main reasons for the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority in the USA. Most outside observers believed the Irish could never manage such a programme and others believed having government or state involvement was anti-democratic/socialist/communist/ just plain un a'Murrican!
I think doing the world's largest Shakespeare festivals would be an interesting for side projects. We have one here in Alabama that some among the top ten surprisingly
The TVA was one public face of the much grandeur Manhattan Project. By 1923 the theory of an atomic weapon was well exposed in the comic books. Both the Columbia Gourge Dam and the TVA project were undertaken to provide the necessary power for uranium refinement at Oakridge TN & Hanford WA
How very true, but damn it sure would help out a lot of folks just as it did back then. And since our infrastructure is in such fantastic, pristine shape... (sarcasm intended.)
suggestion. maybe the electron from what i remember its the smallest orbit capable commercial launch vehicle so that's kinda remarkable. but im a huge space nerd so every rocket is remarkable
You forgot that it became "Hoover Dam" a dozen years after completion by an all Republican controlled government in 1947. When it was Boulder dam in 1933. Forgotten metric is how many people died while building the dam.
Cover the Gold King Mine Spill next! It was the greatest ecological disaster that never was! Seriously, look it up! A bunch of toxic waste water was spilt when the EPA fucked up, sending gallons upon gallons of water polluted with dangerous heavy metals down the Animas River, turning it a yellow-orange. Thing is, the consequences of it were almost negligible, though it did bring bigger focus upon how we treat and clean up abandoned mine operations.
I live within a quarter mile from Wilson Dam. I can walk from my house, see the old ruins of the world known Florence Wagon Company building site, walk the trail all the way next to the original locks. Whenever there has been flooding rains in the valley, and the spillways are halfway to nearly completely open releasing millions and millions and billions at times of water through the spillways. The waters rushing sound is so loud that you can definitely tell when the spillways are open. I tell anyone that talks about Niagra falls being an awesome site. That they should come down, take a walk along the dam when the spillways are open and it puts Niagra falls to shame. Imagine 10 Niagra falls at once. That's what it's like. But hey, whites supremacist gotta be supreme right? All things must pass and change is inevitable.
Consider looking at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System just inside the California state line near Primm Nevada along Interstate 15. It's an interesting project.
A side project that is morally linked to the darker side of US history was a group of writers and journalists who were mostly POC going out to interview the last surviving people who lived as slaves in the USA. Most of these people were illiterate so their stories would have been lost. After the first records came back from the first wave of workers the editors realized the social and historical significance and doubled the efforts to interview as many of the former slaves as possible before they died. While not easy to hear these tales they help us understand the lives and times of such a dark history in our past and to reaffirm that we should prevent any such thing from happening again.
You know, for a MegaProjects episode, you might do one on the biggest public water system in the world, the California Aqueduct System (Cal-Fed, et al.) and include the reservoirs as an oh by the way :-)
The TVA has been lukewarm about solar power, they changed their rate structure to discourage individuals from "going green" while at the same time embracing coal and natural gas. Only 10% of their power is from hydroelectric.
Awesome vid. Can you tell us how the UK, or the world decided to use motorways. I mean I know its the next logical step but I bet it came with difficulties
Norris damn down in Tennessee is named for my great great uncle.... He worked in Congress all through the civil war I'm told so they named it after him
One of the things to come out of the Federal Writers Program was a book entitled Voices From Slavery. Realizing that there were still Americans alive who had been slaves before the Civil War, WPA employees interviewed 100 of them and recorded their words almost verbatim. The variety of experiences and their perspectives from many decades later absolutely fascinated me. It's available from Amazon, possibly elsewhere as well. It's a valuable resource for every student of United States history.
I live in a house that one of the workers from the Hoover Dam lived in. Every once in awhile I find a coin they dropped in the back yard.
My grandfather was one of the engineers on the hoover dam. His responsibilities was the form work , cement reinforcement and the design of the cement segment
The river walk in San Antonio Texas is another one of the very large “little” WPA projects that is pretty interesting.
Cool. I did not know that. There was a municipal 'beach' pool in my home town that was put in by WPA.
That's a cool place to visit. Visited in the mid 90's as a kid with my parents, and had great time. One of my fondest memories.
Yeah, San Antonio, living as I do in Austin I've been there a few times. I think we went to Hemisfair about 6 times...
Fan of Blue Ridge Parkway here! My brother lives close to it and I have many fun memories of visiting them and enjoying an afternoon up in the mountains traveling on it.
The video shown is of the Wilson Dam. While now operated by TVA, they didn’t build it. They just took over operation. It was built during World War I as part of a munitions plant.
1:55 - Chapter 1 - The tennessee valley authority
5:00 - Chapter 2 - Federal project n°1
7:15 - Chapter 3 - Hoover dam
9:10 - Chapter 4 - Blue ridge parkway
The WPA also built numerous National Guard armories, including one near where I grew up and went on to serve out of in the early Oughts - Teaneck Armory, home of 104th Engineer BN (Inactive), 50th Main Support BN (Inactive), and the 250th Brigade Support BN.
My uncle in New Jersey had a WPA outhouse that he used until he died four years ago. He also had a Crosley automobile in his shed. Interesting guy.
There were a few of those still around in rural Oklahoma when I was a kid. They were the gold standard of outhouses, usually built of stone, brick, or concrete.
I have to say thank you for the coverage of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Home sweet home.
Love your videos. How about an episode on the US highway system and / or national park system?
New York City aqueduct system starting with the Croton Aqueduct (still exists) through the modern watershed in the Catskills.
They built an entire town to house the workers at the Hoover damn. It was called Boulder City and was probably worthy of a "Side project?" itself.
It can be found by Googling "city built to house workers at the Hoover Dam"
How long did it take you to find "Ragtown"?
Deliverance was set in a tva project lake. “Dueling banjos” playing in the background.
Squeal!
Squeal!
You might want to consider doing a shoe on the Red Rocks Apitheater outside of Denver, Colorado. This was also an art-related WPA project.
The murals in our local Post Office are the result of the WPA.
One summer growing up my mother, sister, and I went the length of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We camped in our van and went on detours to see the sights. Lasted about two weeks.
Last time I was this early Simon only had 250 youtube channels.
We should all seriously get a different channel to do a bit on Simon. Could you imagine hearing, " What if Simon Whistler only had one TH-cam channel?" for like an April Fool's joke? That'd be epic! 🤣🤣
He is a Russian backed Content Farm. I would trust anything anymore.
@@xr6lad information on this please. i really want to know.
Amateur Simon.
@@xr6lad 5 Minute Sideprojects
I just wanna take the time to thank you and your team for your hard work on all your channels. They’re all awesome. Looking dapper as always!
Idea for a video: The Mosul Dam
It's in serious disrepair, and in desperate need of attention, otherwise it could kill *thousands* if it bursts.
When I was a kid, the tour of Hoover Dam took you down across the power floor. When I was an adult, the day they used a helicopter to run the first line for the new bridge bypass, the tour only took you to an observation platform above the power floor.
When I was 13 I got a tour of Niagara Mohawk, including the power floor, when they weren’t supposed to have anyone under 18 in there.
Muscle Shoals, Al in the house!!! I work for TVA as well. Thanks
great grandfather was in the CCC and helped with projects around Arkansas. interesting bit of history. Cool video as usual, mr. simon
Balfour declaration episode would be spicy
Awesome video on these projects! For another topic to cover, the Federal Columbia River Power System would be an excellent topic!
From the height of it's headwaters in Canada (2690 ft), to it's mouth at the Pacific Ocean, the Columbia River falls the furthest of the major rivers in North America. This makes the Columbia ideal for hydroelectric power for the Pacific Northwest. Much more I could say, but you all would say it better :)
Nope, I still want to call it the Vacuum Cleaner Dam... :P
Grand Coulee Dam and the BPA would make a great video.
My great grandfather, Sam Crammer Johnson, was a supervisor on the Blue Ridge Parkway, The parkway has been a boon for the opening of the high country in North Carolina and Virginia. It has paid for itself many times over.
Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramack, MI was built by the WPA in 1936 and was opened by FDR himself as a campaign event. For years it functioned as a high school football and soccer stadium and was recently renovated by Detroit City FC to be their current home as a pro soccer team. If no one else was gonna mention it, I thought I should.
Side projects: the TVA Nuclear plants Browns Ferry, Watts Bar, sequoyah.
Great video 👍
My grandfather built field stone retainer walls during the depression under the WPA, in western Pennsylvania. The walls still stand today!!
How about the great snowy hyrdo scheme in Australia. Its not a huge project in the scale of the world. But for us Aussies, its something of great importance. Give it a crack. Come on commenters help me out up vote the shit out of this.
WPA created stunning accomplishments, I'm from rural PA. This last year we gave away much more than was spent (in equivalent $) for the WPA, to have people stay home and complain. Grrrrrr.
Have you made any videos on the Appalachian Trail?? I have watched So many of your videos on your channels but was thinking I could have missed it among all the others.!
Simon you gotta do one on the Sears Tower. Tallest building in the US.
Hey Simon hows the vocal training going, also great show as always, im sure one day you will take over youtube with ever more channels
I live within about twenty miles of three TVA dams, including Norris.
The construction of the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River was the crown jewel of President Roosevelt’s public works projects in the Pacific Northwest. It is still in the top ten of the world's largest instantaneous generating capacity dams.
We studied the New Deal at 5th Form College. Our teacher was mad keen in the music of the era. FDR was inecif the greatest world leaders ever.
Glad he signed executive order 9066 to intern all japanese americans in the continental US
Good one keep them coming
internet created. Simon Whistler '"hmmm lets dominate this"
Thats for my Megaprojects channel.
Suggestion : Montreal Olympic Stadium
Back where I grew up we had this big brick boat on the side of the road that was a public works project!
I like listening to these videos while i clean and stuff. Really enjoy the content from these channels
I initially read this as 'WAP' was bitterly disappointed
You should check out another depression small project but big for the state of Nebraska. The creation of the "Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District. It brought surface water to approx. 120,000 acres in the southern part of the state.
A lot of the architecture in national and state parks is there thanks to the WPA and CCC. I'm very grateful for their efforts.
Hoover Dam isn't a megaproject? Excuse me?
The Blue Ridge Parkway looks like it meanders through the hills because when you drive on it, you meander along at an average speed of 45 mph. Gives you time to soak it all, all, all in.
🧐
Why do we drive on parkways and park in driveways?🥸
So basically the opposite of the Nürburgring? That also has scenic views and beautiful rolling hills but also 95 year olds in seasoned Willis Jeeps being overtaken by 23 year old .com-dudes in GT-Rs doing 140 miles per hour while streaming ^^
Probably the same reason why we cook bacon and bake cookies.
7:55 the Mosel in German was fed water by the Hoover Dam? Amazing.
You should do an episode on a rollercoaster/top rollercoasters/a rollercoaster park.
Came back looking for TVA information, and would be interesting to see if you have any more updates or thoughts after the dam failures/issues during Hurricane Helene
Check out Gibraltar's water catchment for an episode.
Check out Fontana dam or raccoon mountain pump storage facility. Both are actually really neat.
Let's not forget that the TVA power grid was what made the Manhattan Project facilities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee possible.
How is the TVA not good enough for mega???? The Tennessee Valley Authority is huge.
And in need of massive reorganization. Heck of a gravy train.
Look into the kinzua valley dam, George Washington, cheif corn planter and Allegheny rivet flooding of Pittsburgh.
ardnacrusha dam was the largest Dam in the world when built and produced enough power at the time to power the island of Ireland twice over. It would make a great mega projects video.
Yes indeed Diarmaid, the Shannon Scheme was the first ever state organised and state run attempt at constructing a hydro electric dam and controlling river flooding. The success of the Shannon Scheme and it's dam at Ardnacrusha was one of the main reasons for the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority in the USA. Most outside observers believed the Irish could never manage such a programme and others believed having government or state involvement was anti-democratic/socialist/communist/ just plain un a'Murrican!
I think doing the world's largest Shakespeare festivals would be an interesting for side projects. We have one here in Alabama that some among the top ten surprisingly
Thanks
You're welcome.
Good video 👍
Blue Ridge Parkway in the fall is a sight not to be missed!
The TVA was one public face of the much grandeur Manhattan Project.
By 1923 the theory of an atomic weapon was well exposed in the comic books.
Both the Columbia Gourge Dam and the TVA project were undertaken to provide the necessary power for uranium refinement at Oakridge TN & Hanford WA
Franklin Duh-lah-no Roosevelt was an American hero.
He did some amazing things, but he also set into place some things that have raised questions.
He got along a little TOO well with Stalin.
Never heard his middle name pronounced that way
Can't do any of these anymore, cause rightwing and neolibs would be triggered by the massive state intervention and government spending.
How very true, but damn it sure would help out a lot of folks just as it did back then.
And since our infrastructure is in such fantastic, pristine shape... (sarcasm intended.)
Next episode: Tatra. Third oldest car and truck brand from Czech Republic. They made quirky luxurious cars and heavy duty trucks.
How about doing a side project on the CCC?
Dang - ain't no BLAZE - it's like Simon visiting the girlfriends parents an being all cool & smart..!
No idea about megaprojects- I was sent here by RAID SHADOW LEGENDS!, co-sponsored by the Sinclair Group. Hope I don't get banned...
suggestion. maybe the electron from what i remember its the smallest orbit capable commercial launch vehicle so that's kinda remarkable. but im a huge space nerd so every rocket is remarkable
You forgot that it became "Hoover Dam" a dozen years after completion by an all Republican controlled government in 1947. When it was Boulder dam in 1933. Forgotten metric is how many people died while building the dam.
Cover the Gold King Mine Spill next! It was the greatest ecological disaster that never was! Seriously, look it up! A bunch of toxic waste water was spilt when the EPA fucked up, sending gallons upon gallons of water polluted with dangerous heavy metals down the Animas River, turning it a yellow-orange. Thing is, the consequences of it were almost negligible, though it did bring bigger focus upon how we treat and clean up abandoned mine operations.
I live within a quarter mile from Wilson Dam. I can walk from my house, see the old ruins of the world known Florence Wagon Company building site, walk the trail all the way next to the original locks. Whenever there has been flooding rains in the valley, and the spillways are halfway to nearly completely open releasing millions and millions and billions at times of water through the spillways. The waters rushing sound is so loud that you can definitely tell when the spillways are open. I tell anyone that talks about Niagra falls being an awesome site. That they should come down, take a walk along the dam when the spillways are open and it puts Niagra falls to shame. Imagine 10 Niagra falls at once. That's what it's like. But hey, whites supremacist gotta be supreme right? All things must pass and change is inevitable.
Simon, I think you need to look at the spelling of your chapter headings!
Side projects video on all of Simons channels pls
Video idea, the submarine communication antenna array in Maine
Consider looking at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System just inside the California state line near Primm Nevada along Interstate 15. It's an interesting project.
In cridersville ohio on 25A was a bridge over muti track rail yard (still used) dated WPA 1938 they replaced it early2000s 700000$ wonder its cost 38?
A side project that is morally linked to the darker side of US history was a group of writers and journalists who were mostly POC going out to interview the last surviving people who lived as slaves in the USA. Most of these people were illiterate so their stories would have been lost. After the first records came back from the first wave of workers the editors realized the social and historical significance and doubled the efforts to interview as many of the former slaves as possible before they died. While not easy to hear these tales they help us understand the lives and times of such a dark history in our past and to reaffirm that we should prevent any such thing from happening again.
Simon: *does MegaProject on Chernobyl dome... 108 meters tall, 36,000 tons
Simon: "None of these are big enough for MegaProjects
Simon: *includes Hoover Dam... 221 meters tall, 6,600,000 tons
Me: ????
Well done
Hey Simon can you do the Auckland harbour bridge? Love your work maybe you should cut back a little on the channels but I won't complain.
That's a interesting compliment you gave.. Like telling your wife "You look GREAT in that dress could you wear it less often please" ....
You know, for a MegaProjects episode, you might do one on the biggest public water system in the world, the California Aqueduct System (Cal-Fed, et al.) and include the reservoirs as an oh by the way :-)
For future reference Simon, a person native to North/South Carolina is called a Carolinian. (Pronounced Carolin-i-an)
Maybe Sideprojects, maybe Geographics, but... LUCY THE ELEPHANT! The building, not the live one.
We might need to start back up this program?!
Can u do one on the Westgate bridge in Australia
How about moving Abu Simbel for the Aswan dam?
The TVA has been lukewarm about solar power, they changed their rate structure to discourage individuals from "going green" while at the same time embracing coal and natural gas. Only 10% of their power is from hydroelectric.
How about Lepidus and the 2nd Triumvirate? That's... Sorta a project?
Awesome vid.
Can you tell us how the UK, or the world decided to use motorways. I mean I know its the next logical step but I bet it came with difficulties
Norris damn down in Tennessee is named for my great great uncle.... He worked in Congress all through the civil war I'm told so they named it after him
Chapter 1's yellow heading is labeled as Chaper One
Casa Loma in Toronto is pretty neat... might not be big enough for even side projects lol new channel "smaller projects"?
Jackson Pollock... Better known as Jack the Dripper.
Keeps puzzling me how these are not megaprojects. I'd call some of them gigaprojects.
20 mil trees? huh! Where did I hear that?
Side project: Boeing Assembly building in Everette WA...
Please add the metric system too. I am from europe and i cant sort all the measurements