us on facebook, and we always have our events listed from lectures urs to events like this today. i hope you enjoyed this. [applause] >> up next on american history 1957,real america," from "potomac river naval command." this film details the wide variety of activities undertaken by the u.s. navy in the national capital area during the cold war. from a ship building and design to aircraft pilot training, ordnance testing, medical research, and motion picture production. ♪

>> the landmarks of washington dc are familiar the world over. there is the national monument, the lincoln memorial, the jefferson memorial. in there other landmarks area about our nation's capital, which are also familiar, but to a more specialized audience. here, for instance, scarcely 12 miles from the white house, is maryland. here are a few miles to the northeast lies the naval ordnance laboratory. towering over washington suburbs, in bethesda, maryland, is the national naval medical center. to the south of washington, d.c., lies the huge naval test center. proper, theict

naval air station is located on the east shore of the anacostia river. across the river, stretching across 25 acres in the heart of washington, lies the u.s. naval gun factory, huge industrial plants of 200 buildings. here is the headquarters of the potomac river naval command, coordinates communication, transportation, personnel a distribution, construction and repair, and civil matters. now for a closer look at some of the major installations and their missions. are at the gun factory factories and shops. where houses and foundries. overhead runways. numerous supply yards. s, roads, and rail lines,

as well as development and testing laboratories. the naval gun factory is a prototype laboratory and factory for new and improved weapons of tomorrow, for the navy of tomorrow. as a prototype laboratory, the first working models of new guns are made for tests. .here is a factory for weapons it is a mass producer of standard weapons, and also a producer of intricate weapons that require extreme technical skill and know-how in many engineering fields. let's take a quick look at a gun in the making. after paperwork in many departments, planning, engineering, production, and inspection, actual work begins. materials pour into the processing shops. the pattern is made. molten metal from the 100 ton per day factory is poured. it is forged, shaped, and

treated. now comes rough machining, finish machining, testing, and final assembly. the weapon is now ready for testing at the naval proving grounds in virginia. the present naval proving ground in virginia is 50 miles below washington on the west shore of the potomac river. the mission of this 3000 acre ground his research, evaluation, and development of many types of -- today's weapons need accuracy. these velocity towers are a symbol of the accuracy and precision that is necessary in ordinance of valuation. -- evaluation. which willtion, ultimately be recorded on this sheet, will be reduced to ballistic tables. this coal chamber is one of

several temperature control facilities maintained here. subjectingle of ordnance materials to simulated altitudes of 50,000 feet, and temperatures between 70 degrees below and 125 degrees below zero. such research is understandable and light of our -- in light of our military commitments. these are indicative of our contribution it is making to the science of ballistics. the naval powder factory is located in maryland. acre facility tests propellants. these highly trained scientists working in modern laboratories are constantly improving conducting, and basic research to find more effective propellants in the future. appellants are first produced in laboratory quantities, then in

pilot quantities, before put in mass destruction. -- nass production. are testedants before being issued to the fleet. the naval powdered factory is extended from the traditional manufacture for the navy's guided missiles. the naval ordnance laboratory, white oak, is located in silver spring, maryland. the laboratory characters -- covers an area -- the laboratory serves as a new idea factory for the development of new and better weapons. ideas may be born in the non-magnetic area, where the buildings are constructed out of material. or out of one of the levels, located in this building. but no matter where the idea is

born, the idea must become a firm plan in the drafting room before development can begin. let's follow the typical development. tocial material required construct a prototype weapon is made in the laboratory on equipment such as this hot strip mill. parts and assemblies are checked off by the engineer. once assembled, the weapon is ready for a series of tests in the environmental facilities of the laboratory. to determine the strength of the mining case that is subjective to a pressure test in this hydrostatic tank. 12can exert pressures up to 50 pounds per square inch. it is the equivalent of one half mile below the ocean's surface. temperatures can be tested in this temperature control room, where it can be varied from -100 2-00 degrees.

the temperature of the water can may change from 30 degrees fair and height to 100 degrees fair in height. this is the deep water tank. it contains gallons of water and is a hundred seven feet deep. is onnd to be evaluated an elevator platform. is attached,ice and the mine is lowered into the tank. on there located circumference of the tank, and scientists can observe the action of the mine. will the high just static pressure valve operate at the setting? does the anchor cable payout at the proper speed? does it have the proper buoyancy to maintain the correct attitude

below the surface? every possible characteristic of the line must be determined by a laboratory and simulated use before ready for fleet use. the naval research laboratory is located in southwest washington. primary mission is to carry out fundamental and applied research and development to increase the combat effectiveness of the navy. the research laboratory has been a pioneer in hundreds of developments. detection,ons, guided missiles, underwater sound gear, and firefighting equipment. first development in the united states is the father of american radar. caused a revolution in the navy. fordevelopment of the atom peaceful and warlike purposes generated this need for this research reactor. the reactor facility includes a

full type reactor, experimental laboratory space, and office space. without proper tools, the scientist can be obstructed just like an automobile material -- mechanic. i -- thisicrosoft and micro-static generator, they can conduct studies. the study of the atmosphere using rockets is one of the most intriguing programs involving since worldrom nrl war ii. these airborne laboratories collect data on cosmic radiation for nrl scientists. program forlated gathering data from outer space. is annique 50 foot dish elaborate radiotelescope used in examining solar emissions. this is the human engineering laboratory, with the spots characteristics of humans is

studied to help improve such things as aircraft control systems. it it's the navy machine to the man. ofject vanguard is the name -- assigned to the satellite program. the project to wrapped around assembles a model of the rocket that will be used to launch the satellite. model to a the full-scale model. vanguard, like the development of the first usable radar screen in the detection of adio waves on mars in september 1956, are only examples of research conducted at the u.s. naval research laboratory. taylor basin is the largest and most complete model basin in the world. here in the world working here in the woodworking shops, ship models are tested.

can wave making machine simulate the actual sea conditions a ship will encounter anywhere in the world. the model's performance during testing in the basin will closely approximate that of the real ship, and from lessons learned, changes may be made to designs that will save many millions of dollars in construction and operating costs. here in the circulating water channel, the largest research facility in the world where water can be recirculated past a certain -- a stationary model. efficiency isnal study. here in the aerodynamics laboratory, research and development tests are performed on aircraft, guided missiles, and airborne equipment. center isair test located 60 miles southeast of washington. the air station is situated on a on there tract of land

confluence of a river and the chesapeake bay. it has three large basins, and runways large enough to accommodate our largest aircraft. the station serves as the based for the atlantic fleet. the primary mission of this air station is testing new aircraft primarily designed for nate -- for naval use. beenthe hangar has rendered free of all electronic catapults, this steam is maintained to test aircraft in order to determine their suitability for launching from aircraft carriers. in the element test section, the capabilities of an airplane to determine their purpose in battle. ♪

the actual flight testing of an aircraft under situations are determined for use. forrovide qualified pilots testing aircraft, the test center maintains a test pilot school. this highly select school takes -- experiencedt fleet pilots and gives them a course. it includes academic studies and engineering courses, and practical evaluation. upon completion of the course, these feature test pilots will not how to properly flight tests to evaluate new aircraft. the united states naval observatory is located in northwest washington. these buildings have telescopes , cameras, and other instruments to obtain celestial information as the ferry for establishing the correct time, to prevent navigational aid.

-- it enables navigators accuracy. a very important negativity of the naval river command is the naval office, located in the maryland. sea boardnic air and in the world will need charts from here. they provide protection in the world's sea lanes. let's see how this is done. observe changes in land configuration, and observe it hazards are plotted and reported to the office. awly reported matter is servant, plotted, and word of the new matter is broadcast all of the word. the information is disseminated by a radio, teletype, and when necessary, through proper

publications issued by the office. the national naval medical center is located approximately one mile from bethesda, maryland. acre sitewo encompasses one of the worlds finest medical centers. six separateare buildings located under a central command. the hospital command unit serves as a general hospital for the diagnosis, treatment, and hospitalization of active and retired personnel of the navy and marine corps and their dependent. this 1300 bed hospital is famous for its outstanding patient care. the hospital is fully equipped like all facilities. it carries on a vigorous and active residency and intern program. one of the hospital's most important jobs is the rehabilitation program. the naval medical school is

fundamentally a postgraduate institution. it's cheap mission is the training of medical officers and core men of the navy. placed onphasis is certain phases of medicine and surgery, which are of particular importance to the navy. these laboratories serve whenever a local laboratory, dispensary, or ship needs assistance. the medical school's tissue bank is pioneering new measures -- new methods of preserving tissues. the dental school command offers the navy's only graduate school of dentistry. the school of hospital administration teaches officers and upper grade enlisted men as administrators in all business positions of hospitals. the medical research institute conducts research contributing to the health, safety, and efficiency of medical personnel. scientists have contributed

heavily to the studies on the biological effect of radiation. the naval photographic center is inated on the anacostia washington. this laboratory is the center for all basis of navy photography. the motion picture division begins its job with planning and writing a script. under expert direction, the scenes are shot on a soundstage. here, the film is developed, drive, and printed. the film is then turned over to the editorial division. in a mulch in a most navy films, there is an offscreen narrator. the required number of prints are made, and the film is released for distribution. in the still picture division, subtleties exist for hindering 1000 eight by 10 frames every hour. these facilities include

developers, enlargers, washers, and dryers. theing the navy in front in photographic world is the job of the test and evaluation division. film depository is where millions of feet of preserved film record navy and military activity. the u.s. naval receiving station lies across the 11th street bridge from the naval gun factory. it performs the usual functions of a receiving factory. logistic support is provided for all enlisted personnel assigned duty in theed to area. they also maintain the records of most enlisted men in foreign naval countries. the school of music is also located on the station. personneland provides for navy bands throughout the world. the receiving station also quarters the u.s. navy ceremonial guard, which forms

-- guard of on the honor. among the other activities under the purview of the commandant, is the deep sea diving school at the naval gun factory. the explosive ordnance disposal school, and the naval communications center in maryland. last but not least, the potomac maintainsl command administrative control of the u.s. navy band. the band is famous for its music and official functions. in the eyes of the navy, the finest band in the united states. ♪ [anchors aweigh] >> it resulted in a naval

victory for the u.s. over japan, just six months after the attack on pearl harbor. on june 2, american history tv will be live all day from the macarthur memorial visitors center in norfolk, virginia for the anniversary of the battle of midway. feature speakers include walter the five star admirals who won the war at sea, elliott anthonywith his book, ore., and timothy watch the battle of midway anniversary special live from the macarthur memorial visitors center in virginia on june 2 beginning at 9:30 a.m. eastern

on american history tv on c-span3. sunday, june 4, author and journalist will be with us. >> if you grow up looking at thousands of faces until one day you see one face that you feel is put on earth just for you, that is the moment you fall in love. for me, trump was like that, except it was the opposite. [laughter] him on theirst saw campaign trail, i thought this is a person who is unique, horrible, amazing, terrible characteristics were put on earth specifically for me to orreciate or unappreciate, whatever the verb is, because i have been spending a lot of the withoutto 12 years knowing it, preparing for donald trump to happen. he is a contributor to

rolling stone magazine, and is the author of several books. "the great derangement," a story of bankers and politicians, and his most recent book, "insane clown president." three-hourlive conversation, we will take your calls, tweets, and facebook questions. live from noon to three clock p.m. eastern sunday, june 4. recently, american history tv was at the american historical association's annual meeting in denver, colorado. we spoke with professors, authors, and graduate students about their research. this interview is about 20 minutes. >>