we will be live to take your calls and tweets. that is live next saturday here on american history tv. long, we join our medications partners to showcase the history of tempe, arizona. visit c-span.org/cities tour. we continue now with our look at the history of tempe. >> we visited town lake to know more about the city's growth from public information officer chris baxter. >> ok, chris, we are typically in a van not driving around not on water in a boat, where are we right now? what is the significance of the water? >> we don't do things the normal way. we always try to do it a little

bit different. we are in the middle of tempe town lake, what's interesting is that most people don't have lakes that are brand new. our lake is going to be 147 year's old very soon. >> tell me why it was built? >> this used to be a stretch of the salt river. salt river runs quite a way throughout arizona and it was dammed up in the 1930's when roosevelt dam was built. people used to dump garbage in here. we worked hand-in-hand with the army corps of engineers. we took everything out of here that has been here for decades, and we have turned this into a lake and this lake is responsible for $1.5 billion worth of economic development in our community.

>> what changes have you seen? >> pretty much nothing that you see here was here with the exception of the two bridges that you see. we are talking about the buildings around here, we are talking about all of this, all the shops, the restaurants. >> nothing was here before 1999. pretty much as far as the eye can see is all new and the lake is responsible for it. the reason that our city exists is this is a really great place to cross the river and where we are right now is exactly where our city was founded. >> this was here because of the ferry crossing. >> the building that you see behind you, the white building with columns, that was our first business. between the ferry and the mill, this is how our city got its start. >> tell me what is the city like now?

>> well, one of the most urban and densely populated cities in arizona. we are the number one college town in america. >> wow. >> we are doing amazing things. tempe is known for being innovative. turning a lake into a river -- we had to create a like to become a river again because there's water that runs from the salt water and comes down this way. and it's not we are going to put a wall. we actually have a working dam, when it rains, this lake becomes a river, we can let it as much water as we need to and we can raise up the dam again and have a lake. >> now, how is it utilized

recreationally, you is young population, does it draw people? >> this lake has 2.4 million visitors every year. the second largest tourist destination in all of arizona. second to grand canyon. our population has grown quite a bit. we have condos. we have condos that are here and across the lake, so just the sheer building of those has resulted in a lot of new residents but beyond that, the companies that you see we have fortune 500 companies that have located here and that's because people want to play in tempe town lake. a lot grab their board, walk out, hit the water in lunch hour or right after work and there they are. we have a lot of tech companies that are here. we have go daddy's a few miles

down the road, this is the lifestyle that millennials want. our average age is 28. this is a really active community. >> do you feel that reflex in the community with new ideas and a lot of energy, how did the students play a role here? >> well, the students played a huge role not only in the community but in the world in general. one of the things there's a huge amount of research that college students are a part of. they are a cure for ebola that originated out of the biodesign institute at university state university two miles down the road from here. they are built components out of asu. the inventions, the ideas, new companies are created here all of the time. >> why tempe, why do the businesses thrive in tempe?

>> i think the reason people come here is because of the innovative nature. there is nobody here that says you can't do that. we think that the best think to do is let's figure out a way to say yes, let's figure out a way to support your dream and that to me is probably what makes us unique. we didn't say we like having an ugly river bottom. we have to have pretty water. how do we get the pretty water and we, you know, spent 30 years figuring out the answer. we started in 1965, this concept was created by asu, arizona state university, james and students came up with the idea and over the 30 years, we figured out how to fund it, we figured out what it would take to support the annual maintenance of it and for about a hundred million dollars we got $1.5 million back, plus all the beautiful places to live, all the great places to work and truly hundreds of new businesses being again rated from the sake that they want to be. >> you are from tempe originally, what do you want to

see for your city next? you have seen all the growth and changes, what's your ideal scenario for your city? >> you know, what i think tempe wants, the city itself, what i really think tempe wants is make the world a better place. not only that but our businesses, we have a lot of young people and really the goal of the city to help residents achieve dreams. that's the goal of any city. we want our residents do what are they want to do. if they want to cure disease, great. if they want to open a popsicle stand, that is fine, too. everyone of how bored of their lunch hour, that is good. this weekend, we are featuring the history of tempe, arizona, together with her cox communications cable partners. learn more about tempe and other stops on our cities tour on our

website. you are watching american history tv, all weekend every weekend on c-span3. each week, american history archivalamerica brings films that provide context for today's public affairs issues. ♪ your commentator is joe bryant. >> here the motion picture record, the havoc wrought by the on pearl harbor, america's mid-pacific naval bastion.

on december 7, 1941, japan, like its infamous axis partners, declared war afterwards. airplanes and equipment, but more costly to japan was the effectiveness of its attacks it immediately unifying america and its determination to fight and win the war thrust upon it, and to win the peace that will follow. the japanese, -- copy their german masters. scores of planes were bruised and battered by the japanese aerial bombs. many were demolished beyond repair. direct hits were scored on hangers, and these were badly shattered. supplies were reduced to smoldering ruins. here's grim and positive evidence of japanese treachery. while japanese depomed's were talking peace in washington --

diplomats were talking peace in washington. here the united states destroyers are downed as they rest on the bottom of pearl harbor. first of feel the sting of japanese steel are the uss oklahoma and the uss utah, the latter a 33-year-old target ship. accurate hits make short work of these two navy bulwarks. they like helpless wrecks, and he said reminder of the strategy. to make possible the surprise attack within pearl harbor, the japanese built manned submarines to allow them into waters that are narrow and torturous. several of these weapons were blown from the water by direct hits of our name -- our naval gunners. sky and sea fire were still raging, cruise inspected

the crafts to see what maybe saved. bombs the din of bursting had been silenced, preparations were under way to salvage these two warships. at low tide, the huge propeller of the oklahoma was high above water. it is believed that the small two-man japanese submarines were responsible for these two losses to our pacific fleet. here is the actual bombing of the mighty uss arizona by japanese planes. these pictures were made by a fearless cameraman who thought nothing of his personal saving

-- safety to make this record for all posterity. a single lucky hit was responsible for the disaster that propel the arizona, when a japanese bomb exploded in the engine room and set ablaze tons of fuel oil. smoke billowed into the sky as the massive control tower began to peel over -- keel over. the crew stuck to its guns until the very end. here is a display of heroism that will live forever in the glorious animals and traditions of the american navy -- annals and traditions of the american navy. once mighty arizona now rests on pearl harbor's muddy bottom, a pitiful relic of its former self, a grand monuments to the treachery of japan. the once mighty armor plating is twisted and torn. ,he control tower still stands a beacon that will cast its

shower -- it's shadow. history with a tragic treacherous pen, history that 130 million americans will never forget. in the days to come, the japanese will remember pearl harbor. here is a tragic, unforgettable page in the annals of america. here they hope to score a knockout before the war began. the heirs of his gun crews, battered and broken to the last, the guns pointed skyward from once the enemy appeared. costapanese sneak blow hundreds of military civilian lives. a cost to bunch of right, another capsized.

while bombs were still bursting and flames still pouring from our shattered naval craft, there validly moved to avenge pearl harbor. >> on december 7, 1941, japanese planes attacked the u.s. pacific fleet at pearl harbor, hawaii. 2400 americans were killed, and almost 1200 wounded. the next day, president franklin d roosevelt appeared before a joint session of congress to request a declaration of war against japan.