Hoover Dam is a concrete gravity-arch dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the US states of Arizona and Nevada. The dam, located 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Las Vegas.

Besides being a favorite setting for many of Hollywood movies (Universal Soldier, Transformers), how much do you really know about Hoover Dam? Despite Hollywood's image for loving hyperboles, Hoover Dam catasthrophe plots aren't that exaggerated. Its collapse could cause heavy damage to lands and could claim countless lives, not to mention cripple the nation's water control services. It's also supposed to have the fastest Internet access worldwide, after an alleged partnership with UK-based O2 broadband which gave it special access to "rumored" top secret web channels. That might not hold much water (pardon the pun), but it's an intriguing urban legend nonetheless. Anyways, for those wondering about the facts and history surrounding Hoover Dam, you've come to the right place.

Hoover Dam is named after Herbert Hoover, who played an instrumental role in its construction, first as Secretary of Commerce and then later as President of the United States. Construction began in 1931 and was completed in 1936, over two years ahead of schedule. The dam is operated by the Bureau of Reclamation of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, Hoover Dam was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985.

Lake Mead is the reservoir created behind the dam, named after Elwood Mead, who oversaw the construction of the dam.

Statistics
• Construction period: April 20, 1931 – March 1, 1936
• Construction cost: $49 million ($676 million adjusted for inflation)
• Deaths attributed to construction: 96
• Dam height: 726.4 ft (221.4 m), second highest dam in the United States
• Dam length: 1244 ft (379.2 m)
• Dam thickness: 660 ft (200 m) at its base; 45 ft (15 m) thick at its crest
• Electric Power produced by the water turbines: 2,080 megawatts