All language subtitles for bamaSUB

SWEET HOME ALABAMA,

A LAND OF QUIET LAKES

AND FIELDS OF COTTON.

IT'S EASY TO BE FOOLED

BY THIS SOUTHERN STATE'S
TIMELESS RHYTHMS.

BUT WITHOUT ALABAMA,
THE HISTORY OF AMERICA

COULD HAVE TAKEN
A VERY DIFFERENT TURN.

IT WAS HERE ON AN ALABAMA BUS

THAT A YOUNG SEAMSTRESS
TOOK A BRAVE STAND

AND HELPED PAVE THE WAY TO
GREAT CIVIL RIGHTS VICTORIES.

AND IT WAS HERE WHEN
NASA SCIENTISTS

INVENTED THE ROCKET THAT FIRST
PROPELLED HUMANS TO THE MOON.

IT'S A STATE THAT'S KNOWN
GREAT TRANSFORMATION.

IN ALABAMA, RAGING TORNADOS
DEVASTATE ENTIRE TOWNS,

AND HUMANS REGENERATE
THE LAND...

WITH FIRE.

AERIAL ALABAMA EXPLORES
THE MYSTERIES

OF A PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENT,

SOARS ACROSS
A MAGIC CITY OF INDUSTRY,

KNOWN FOR ITS GOD OF FIRE
AND FORGE,

AND DISCOVERS HOW
A NEW DESIGNER STEEL PLANT

IS LAUNCHING AMERICA
INTO THE FUTURE.

FROM A SMALL FISHING PORT
THAT'S MADE HOLLYWOOD HISTORY,

TO A COASTAL POWERHOUSE

THAT'S THE BIRTHPLACE OF
MARDI GRAS IN AMERICA,

AND ONE OF BASEBALL'S GREATEST
LEGENDS, HAMMERIN' HANK--

IT'S ALL RIGHT HERE

IN HOME, SWEET HOME, ALABAMA.

EACH FALL, THOUSANDS OF ACRES
OF ALABAMA FARMLAND

LOOK AS IF THEY'VE BEEN
DUSTED IN SNOW.

THIS IS ALABAMA COTTON.

FARMERS PLANT MORE THAN HALF A
MILLION ACRES OF IT EVERY YEAR,

AND THEN PRAY FOR
A GOOD FALL HARVEST.

NOTHING HAS PLAYED A BIGGER ROLE
IN THIS STATE'S HISTORY

THAN ITS KING COTTON.

ONCE, THIS BOUNTY WAS BY PICKED
BY HAND BY ENSLAVED AFRICANS.

TODAY, A SINGLE HARVESTER
DOES THAT WORK

WITH REMARKABLE SPEED.

THE RAW COTTON IS GATHERED

SO IT CAN BE COMPRESSED
INTO GIANT BALES.

EACH ONE CONTAINS ENOUGH COTTON

FOR MORE THAN
200 PAIRS OF JEANS.

IN DAYS OF OLD, STEAMSHIPS
AND BARGES CARRIED THE BOUNTY

DOWN THE STATE'S VAST
NETWORK OF RIVERS.

THERE ARE MORE NAVIGABLE
WATERWAYS IN ALABAMA

THAN IN ANY OTHER STATE.

IT WAS ONE OF THESE

THAT INSPIRED
THE SOUTHERN BAND ALABAMA

TO WRITE THEIR FIRST NUMBER ONE
HIT, "TENNESSEE RIVER."

THE SONG'S LYRICS
ARE A CELEBRATION

OF ALABAMA'S RICH BLEND OF
WATER, TREES, AND HILLS.

"I WAS BORN ACROSS THE RIVER, IN
THE MOUNTAINS WHERE I CALL HOME.

LORD, TIMES WERE GOOD THERE,
DON'T KNOW WHY I EVER ROAMED."

THE STORY OF HOW ALABAMA
BECAME A STATE CAN BE FOUND--

LIKE MUCH ELSE HERE--
ON A BEND IN A RIVER.

A STREAM OF MIST LINGERS
IN THE MORNING SUN

A FEW HUNDRED FEET ABOVE
THE TALLAPOOSA RIVER.

WELL HIDDEN IN THE TREES BELOW
IS THE SITE OF A GRIPPING TALE--

A TALE OF HOW
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT

CAME TO OWN
23 MILLION ACRES OF LAND,

MUCH OF WHICH BECAME
THE STATE OF ALABAMA.

THESE LAKES AND TREES WERE ONCE

THE LAND OF THE CREEK
AND THE CHEROKEE.

BUT IN THE EARLY 19th CENTURY,

WAR BROKE OUT BETWEEN
FACTIONS OF THE CREEK--

WAR THAT BECAME A THREAT
TO THE U.S. GOVERNMENT

AND EUROPEAN AMERICAN SETTLERS
IN THE SOUTH,

MORE AND MORE OF WHOM WERE
MOVING ONTO CREEK LAND.

SO IN 1814,

GENERAL ANDREW JACKSON AND
HIS ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE

JOURNEYED SOUTH TO DEAL
WITH THE CREEK THREAT.

THIS BEND IN
THE TALLAPOOSA RIVER

WOULD BECOME THE SITE OF
THEIR FAMOUS AND BLOODY SIEGE.

ON MARCH 27th,
1,000 RED STICK WARRIORS,

MEMBERS OF THE CREEK TRIBE,

HUNKERED DOWN BEHIND A BARRICADE
HERE AT HORSESHOE BEND,

READY TO DEFEND THEIR LAND
AGAINST JACKSON

AND HIS 2,700
TENNESSEE SOLDIERS.

ON JACKSON'S SIDE WERE ALSO

HUNDREDS OF CREEK
AND CHEROKEE ALLIES.

JACKSON'S MEN FIRED CANNON
AT THE BARRICADE...

BUT IT HELD.

SO HIS CREEK ALLIES
SWAM THE RIVER, STOLE CANOES,

AND USED THEM TO FERRY MEMBERS
OF THE TENNESSEE MILITIA

ONTO THE BEND.

THE CREEKS' SETTLEMENT
WAS SET ABLAZE.

HERE AT THE TOE
OF THE PENINSULA,

HUNDREDS OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN
HAD GATHERED TO SEEK PROTECTION.

JACKSON'S MEN TOOK CLOSE
TO 250 OF THEM HOSTAGE.

AND THEN THE SLAUGHTER BEGAN.

NEARLY 600 CREEK WARRIORS
WERE KILLED,

HUNDREDS MORE WERE
SHOT OR DROWNED

AS THEY TRIED TO ESCAPE
ACROSS THE RIVER.

LESS THAN 50 OF JACKSON'S MEN
DIED IN THE SIEGE,

AND NEARLY HALF OF THOSE WERE
NATIVE AMERICAN ALLIES.

ONE OF JACKSON'S YOUNG MILITIA
FIGHTERS LATER WROTE,

"THERE WAS NOTHING TO BE SEEN
BUT VOLUMES OF DENSE SMOKE,

RISING HEAVILY OVER THE CORPSES
OF PAINTED WARRIORS,

AND THE BURNING RUINS OF
THEIR FORTIFICATION."

AFTER THE SIEGE
AT HORSESHOE BEND,

JACKSON WAS PROMOTED TO
MAJOR GENERAL OF THE U.S. ARMY.

IN AUGUST 1814,

HE ORDERED THE REMAINING
CREEK CHIEFS TO ASSEMBLE

AND FORCED THEM TO GIVE UP
23 MILLION ACRES OF THEIR LAND.

THAT TREATY WAS SIGNED
AT FORT JACKSON,

CLOSE TO A SITE THAT REMAINS
SACRED TO THE CREEK TODAY.

ON THIS MORNING,

THE REMAINS OF THE ORIGINAL FORT
LIE HIDDEN BENEATH THE MIST.

BEFORE THE INK ON THE TREATY OF
FORT JACKSON HAD EVEN DRIED,

COTTON FEVER WAS SPREADING
ACROSS THE REGION.

THOUSANDS OF NEW SETTLERS POURED
IN FROM NEIGHBORING STATES

HOPING TO GET A PIECE OF
AMERICA'S NEW FERTILE LAND.

IN A LETTER TO A FRIEND, ONE
NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENT WROTE,

"THE ALABAMA FEVER RAGES HERE
WITH GREAT VIOLENCE

AND HAS CARRIED OFF VAST NUMBERS
OF OUR CITIZENS.

SOME OF OUR OLDEST
AND MOST WEALTHY MEN

ARE OFFERING
THEIR POSSESSIONS FOR SALE

AND ARE DESIROUS OF REMOVING
TO THE NEW COUNTRY."

THAT "NEW COUNTRY" WAS
THE STATE OF ALABAMA.

IN 1819,

JUST FIVE YEARS AFTER THE TREATY
OF FORT JACKSON WAS SIGNED,

ALABAMA WAS GIVEN
U.S. STATEHOOD.

THAT SAME YEAR,
THIS CITY, MONTGOMERY,

WAS ESTABLISHED ON THE BANKS
OF THE ALABAMA RIVER.

TODAY, IT'S THE SECOND MOST
POPULATED CITY IN THE STATE

AND IS HOME TO
THE ALABAMA STATE HOUSE.

BUT MONTGOMERY ONLY BECAME
THE CAPITAL IN 1846,

27 YEARS AFTER ALABAMA WAS BORN.

THE STATE'S FIRST CAPITAL

COULDN'T BE MORE DIFFERENT
TODAY.

IT'S KNOWN AS ONE OF ALABAMA'S
MOST HAUNTED TOWNS.

TO FIND IT REQUIRES A TRIP SOUTH
DOWN THE ALABAMA RIVER.

EVEN FROM THE AIR, IT CAN BE
EASY TO MISS THE FORMER CAPITAL,

CALLED CAHAWBA.

THAT'S BECAUSE THIS IS ALMOST
ALL THAT'S LEFT OF IT--

THE OLD TOWN SQUARE AND A FEW
OLD HOUSES HIDDEN IN THE TREES.

THIS WAS ONCE A BUSTLING PORT,

A HUB OF ALABAMA'S BOOMING
COTTON TRADE.

BUT FREQUENT FLOODWATERS
IN CAHAWBA

ULTIMATELY CAUSED
ALABAMA'S LEGISLATURE

TO SEEK HIGHER GROUND
FOR ITS CAPITAL CITY.

IN 1826, THE ALABAMA CAPITAL
WAS MOVED TO TUSCALOOSA,

A CHOCTAW INDIAN NAME
THAT MEANS BLACK WARRIOR.

IT WAS ON A BEND IN
THE BLACK WARRIOR RIVER

THAT THE CITY WAS
FOUNDED IN 1819.

FLOODS BROUGHT DOWN ALABAMA'S
FIRST CAPITAL CITY,

AND ITS SECOND HAS ALSO BEEN
NO STRANGER TO NATURAL DISASTER.

ON ONE APRIL AFTERNOON IN 2011,
THE WIND HERE BEGAN TO HOWL.

AND THEN A GIANT TORNADO
HEADED RIGHT FOR DOWNTOWN.

THE DEVASTATION IS EASY TO SPOT
FROM THE AIR.

AS THE TWISTER RACED
THROUGH THE CITY,

THE GRACELAND APARTMENT COMPLEX
TOOK A DIRECT HIT.

IN THE DEBRIS,
RESCUE WORKERS HERE FOUND

THE PURPLE HEART MEDAL
OF A WORLD WAR II VET.

FORMER RESIDENTS
SALVAGE WHAT THEY CAN.

THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA

LIES RIGHT NEXT TO
THE TORNADO'S PATH.

THE TWISTER SPARED
THE MAIN CAMPUS,

BUT TORE RIGHT THROUGH
A BLOCK OF APARTMENTS NEARBY

THAT HOUSED STUDENTS.

A DIRT LOT IS ALL
THAT REMAINS TODAY.

BY THE TIME THE TWISTER
RACED OUT OF TUSCALOOSA,

MUCH OF THE CITY WAS
COMPLETELY FLATTENED.

43 PEOPLE HERE DIED,

INCLUDING SIX
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA STUDENTS.

AFTER THE STORM,

THE UNIVERSITY CLOSED ITS DOORS
FOR THE REST OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.

WHEN MANY PICTURE GIANT TWISTERS
TEARING ACROSS THE LAND,

THEY THINK TORNADO ALLEY,

WHICH STRETCHES NORTH
FROM OKLAHOMA

INTO KANSAS, NEBRASKA AND IOWA.

BUT NOW, RESEARCHERS
ARE DISCOVERING

THAT AN EVEN MORE DANGEROUS AREA
OF TORNADO ACTIVITY

CROSSES RIGHT THROUGH THE SOUTH,

FROM NORTHERN LOUISIANA
EAST TO ALABAMA.

THEY CALL THIS TORNADO BELT
"DIXIE ALLEY."

IN DIXIE ALLEY,
THE MOST POWERFUL TORNADOES

TEND TO TOUCH DOWN FOR LONGER.

AND BECAUSE ALABAMA AND
OTHER SOUTHERN STATES

ARE MORE DENSELY POPULATED
THAN THE GREAT PLAINS,

TORNADO DAMAGE HERE
IS EVEN GREATER.

THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
REOPENED IN THE FALL OF 2011.

LIFE HERE IS SLOWLY
RETURNING TO NORMAL.

INSIDE ITS BRYANT-DENNY
FOOTBALL STADIUM,

THE FIELD IS GETTING PREPPED
FOR TOMORROW'S BIG GAME

WITH A NEW COAT OF CRIMSON.

IT WAS HERE WHERE COLLEGE
FOOTBALL'S LEGENDARY COACH

PAUL "BEAR" BRYANT
LED THE CRIMSON TIDE

TO MORE THAN 232 VICTORIES
AND SIX NATIONAL TITLES.

NFL HALL OF FAMERS
QUARTERBACK JOE NAMATH

AND WIDE RECEIVER DON HUTSON

BOTH PLAYED FOR
THE CRIMSON TIDE,

AS DID ACTOR TOM HANKS,

AT LEAST ON SCREEN IN HIS
1994 ROLE AS FORREST GUMP.

TOMORROW, TENS OF THOUSANDS
OF CRIMSON-COVERED FANS

WILL FILL THESE SEATS TO CHEER
U.A. IN ITS RITUAL BATTLE

AGAINST THE UNIVERSITY
OF TENNESSEE--

AN ANNUAL GAME THAT'S
KNOWN SIMPLY AS

"THE THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER."

THIS EAGERLY AWAITED MATCHUP

IS WHY SOME HARD-CORE
ALABAMA FOOTBALL FANS

ARE SAID TO LIVE BY
TWO GOLDEN RULES--

THEY NEVER GET MARRIED

AND TRY NOT TO DIE ON
THE THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER,

BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT
THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE

THAT THE PREACHER WON'T SHOW.

BUT ON FALL SATURDAYS IN
THIS CORNER OF ALABAMA,

COLLEGE FOOTBALL ISN'T
THE ONLY SPECTACLE IN TOWN.

JUST OUTSIDE OF TUSCALOOSA,
A TEAM OF PROFESSIONAL BURN MEN

IS ABOUT TO TURN 300 ACRES
OF ALABAMA FOREST

INTO A RAGING INFERNO,

JUST AS PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DOING
ON THIS LAND

FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS.

FLYING LOW OVER ALABAMA CAN
PROVIDE A FRONT ROW SEAT

TO A FIERY SPECTACLE THAT FEW
WILL EVER SEE UP CLOSE.

HUNDREDS OF ACRES OF FORESTLAND

TURNED INTO A GIANT,
SMOKY INFERNO...

ON PURPOSE!

NORTH OF TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA,

THE PINE TREES ON THIS 300-ACRE
TRACT WERE RECENTLY HARVESTED.

NOW, A TEAM OF SPECIALISTS
IS PREPARING TO CLEAR IT

FOR REPLANTING...

WITH FIRE.

IT'S WHAT'S CALLED
A CONTROLLED BURN.

ONCE THE FLAMES ARE LIT,

THE CHALLENGE WILL BE
TO CONTROL THEM.

SHIFTING WINDS COULD CAUSE

NEIGHBORING LOTS
TO CATCH ON FIRE.

A TINY BELL 47 LIFTS OFF
FROM THE BURN SITE,

THE SAME MODEL USED IN
THE TV SHOW M-A-S-H.

THIS LIGHTWEIGHT HELICOPTER,
FIRST FLOWN IN 1945,

HAS WOODEN BLADES
AND IS ARMED WITH A TANK

OF GELLED FUEL, LIKE NAPALM,
CALLED FLASH 21.

THIS PILOT HAS BEEN LIGHTING
CONTROLLED BURNS

ACROSS THE SOUTH
FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS.

TO GET THE FIRE STARTED,

HE OPENS A VALVE
SO THE FUEL CAN FLOW.

AS IT DRIPS, IT'S IGNITED

AND THEN FALLS IN A FIERY STREAM
OVER THE BURN AREA.

BURN PILOTS HAVE TO WORK WITH
SURGEON-LIKE PRECISION,

LIGHTING UP THE FRINGES
OF THE TRACT

WITHOUT BURNING DOWN
THE NEIGHBOR'S TREES

OR SPARKING A WILDFIRE--

A MISTAKE THAT COULD COST
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.

ONCE THE FIRE'S BURNING
AT THE EDGES,

THE PILOT SCANS THE PERIMETER,
CHECKING FOR FLAMES

THAT MIGHT BE JUMPING ACROSS
THE PROPERTY LINE.

IF THEY DO, THE GROUND TEAM
WILL USE BULLDOZERS AND ATVs

TO TRY TO GET THINGS
BACK UNDER CONTROL.

IT TAKES ONLY 15 TO 20 MINUTES
TO START THE BURN.

SO FAR, NO FLAMES HAVE JUMPED
THIS FIRE LINE.

IT'S TIME TO LIGHT UP THE REST.

FLYING AT JUST 150 FEET,

HE BEGINS TO CRISSCROSS
THE BURN AREA,

DRIPPING FIRE IN ROWS.

FLAMES LIKE THESE CAN CREATE
DANGEROUS CONDITIONS

FOR BURN PILOTS,

ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE'S NO DOOR
TO KEEP OUT SMOKE.

IT TAKES EXPERIENCE AND SKILL

TO WEAVE IN AND OUT
OF THE FIRE'S HOT UPDRAFTS.

THIS LOOKS MORE LIKE A SCENE
FROM THE FILM "APOCALYPSE NOW"

THAN WHAT MANY MIGHT EXPECT TO
FIND ON A FALL DAY IN ALABAMA.

BURN MEN KNOW THAT SMOKE
CAN BE EVEN MORE DANGEROUS

THAN THE FIRE ITSELF.

AND THAT THEY CAN BE LIABLE FOR
ACCIDENTS OR HEALTH PROBLEMS

CAUSED BY THE FIRE.

THIS BURN WILL LIKELY CONTINUE
FOR ANOTHER TWO HOURS

BEFORE ITS CINDERS FINALLY DIE.

LONG BEFORE ANY HELICOPTERS
BUZZED OVER THIS STATE,

NATIVE AMERICANS ALSO USED FIRE
TO TURN FORESTS INTO FIELDS

AND CLEAR THE LAND
FOR BETTER HUNTING.

BUT LIFE FOR ALABAMA'S
NATIVE PEOPLE

WASN'T JUST ONE OF SURVIVAL
IN THE FOREST.

IN FACT, CENTURIES BEFORE

ANY EUROPEAN SET EYES
ON ALABAMA SOIL,

THIS LAND WAS HOME TO

ONE OF THE LARGEST PREHISTORIC
SETTLEMENTS IN NORTH AMERICA.

IT'S A SITE THAT'S KNOWN TODAY
AS MOUNDVILLE.

IT LIES ON THE BANKS OF
THE WINDING BLACK WARRIOR RIVER

IN THE WESTERN HALF
OF THE STATE.

THIS ANCIENT SETTLEMENT ONCE
COVERED MORE THAN 300 ACRES.

UNTIL THE LATE 15th CENTURY,

IT WAS HOME TO
A LARGE POPULATION

KNOWN AS THE MISSISSIPPIAN
MOUND BUILDERS,

LIKELY ANCESTORS OF TODAY'S
CHEROKEE AND CREEK.

EARTHEN MOUNDS COVER THE SITE.

ON TOP WERE PROBABLY
HOUSES AND TEMPLES.

THE NATIVE PEOPLE
WHO SETTLED HERE GREW CORN

AND TRADED WITH OTHER TRIBES

AND NAVIGATED THROUGHOUT THE
STATE ON ALABAMA'S WATERWAYS.

AFTER IT WAS MOSTLY ABANDONED
IN THE 15th CENTURY,

MOUNDVILLE WAS OFTEN USED
AS A BURIAL GROUND.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE ONLY BEGUN
TO EXCAVATE THIS VAST SITE,

BUT ALREADY THEY'VE DISCOVERED
SKELETONS, FIRE PITS,

AND AXES MADE FROM COPPER--

LIKELY CEREMONIAL OBJECTS
OWNED BY THE TRIBES' ELITES.

IN THE AIR OVER ALABAMA,

IT'S EASY TO STUMBLE UPON
RICH EVIDENCE

OF THE STATE'S ANCIENT PAST.

BUT IT'S ALSO POSSIBLE
TO DISCOVER THE BONES

OF A MORE RECENT INDUSTRIAL AGE.

A STEEL CRANE POKES ITS HEAD
ABOVE TREES

CLOSE TO
THE BLACK WARRIOR RIVER.

THIS GIANT EXCAVATOR IS CALLED
"MR. HE-MAN II,"

NAMED FOR HEMAN DRUMMOND,

FOUNDER OF
THE DRUMMOND COAL COMPANY,

WHICH IS STILL ONE OF THE
LARGEST SURFACE MINING COMPANIES

IN AMERICA.

FOR YEARS, THIS WALKING
DRAGLINE EXCAVATOR

CRAWLED ACROSS THIS LANDSCAPE

SHOVELING UP THOUSANDS OF TONS
OF COAL.

WHEN THE MINE CLOSED,

IT COST TOO MUCH
TO MOVE MR. HE-MAN II.

SO ITS ENGINES WERE SHUT DOWN,

AND IT'S BEEN PARKED HERE
EVER SINCE.

THERE ARE MANY ABANDONED
STRIP MINE EXCAVATORS

ACROSS NORTHERN ALABAMA...

...STANDING LIKE THE SKELETONS
OF ANCIENT CREATURES

THAT DIED WHERE THEY FELL.

BUT WHILE THE STRIP MINES AROUND
THESE CRANES ARE CLOSED,

COAL IN ALABAMA IS
STILL BIG BUSINESS.

THE BLACK WARRIOR RIVER
WINDS ITS WAY SOUTH.

FROM THE AIR, IT LOOKS LIKE
A REMOTE PARADISE.

A CORMORANT SCANS THE WATERS
FOR A MORNING MEAL.

BUT UNDER THE FISH,
AND THE RIVER ITSELF,

MEN AND MACHINES
ARE BUSY AT WORK,

DIGGING OUT ONE OF
THE STATE'S LARGEST

AND MOST VALUABLE
DEPOSITS OF COAL.

IT'S PART OF AN AREA KNOWN AS
THE BLACK WARRIOR COAL FIELD.

THERE ARE MORE THAN
90 ACTIVE MINES HERE,

INCLUDING THIS ONE,
THE LARGEST IN THE STATE.

THE REASON THERE ARE NO
MONSTER EXCAVATORS HERE

IS BECAUSE THIS COMPANY
PRACTICES LONGWALL MINING,

IN TUNNELS DEEP UNDERGROUND
AND UNDER THE RIVER ITSELF.

MILLIONS OF TONS OF COAL
ARE EXTRACTED

FROM ALABAMA'S MINES EACH YEAR.

AND IT WAS COAL FROM THIS REGION
THAT FUELED THE RISE

OF ONE OF AMERICA'S
GREAT INDUSTRIAL CITIES

JUST A FEW MILES AWAY.

THIS IS BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA,

A GREAT CITY OF IRON AND STEEL

OFTEN CALLED
THE "PITTSBURGH OF THE SOUTH."

OTHERS KNOW BIRMINGHAM AS

THE BIRTHPLACE OF COUNTRY SINGER
EMMYLOU HARRIS

AND THE ORIGINAL CHARLIE'S
ANGELS ACTRESS KATE JACKSON.

STANDING HIGH OVER THE CITY IS
A TOWERING CAST IRON STATUE

OF VULCAN, THE ROMAN GOD
OF FIRE AND FORGE.

AT HIS WAIST, THE TOOLS HE USES
TO SHAPE METALS.

IN HIS RIGHT HAND, A SPEAR--
ONE OF HIS FINISHED PRODUCTS.

THIS STATUE WAS MADE TO DISPLAY
AT THE 1904 WORLD'S FAIR

IN ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, AS
A GREAT SYMBOL OF BIRMINGHAM--

A CITY WHOSE POPULATION AND
ECONOMY GREW SO RAPIDLY

IN THE LATE 19th CENTURY, THAT
IT WAS KNOWN AS "MAGIC CITY."

BIRMINGHAM WAS INCORPORATED
IN 1871 BY ENTREPRENEURS

WHO'D BEEN EYEING
THE VALUABLE MINERAL DEPOSITS

THAT SURROUNDED THE TOWN.

EVERYTHING NEEDED TO MAKE IRON
LAY WITHIN JUST 30 MILES,

INCLUDING RICH VEINS OF COAL,
IRON ORE AND LIMESTONE.

IN 1881, A LOCAL ENTREPRENEUR,

A RAILROAD MAN NAMED
COLONEL JAMES WITHERS SLOSS,

CONVINCED INVESTORS
TO BACK HIS PLANS

TO MANUFACTURE IRON
IN BIRMINGHAM.

TODAY HIS SLOSS FURNACES
ARE STILL STANDING

AND HAVE BEEN MADE INTO A MUSEUM

THAT DOCUMENTS BIRMINGHAM'S
RICH INDUSTRIAL PAST.

FOR NEARLY A CENTURY,

THE SLOSS FURNACES
WERE THE MAINSTAY

OF BIRMINGHAM'S ECONOMY,

TURNING OUT HUNDREDS OF TONS OF
HIGH-QUALITY IRON EVERY WEEK.

AFTER SLOSS SOLD HIS COMPANY
IN 1886,

IT WENT ON TO BECOME ONE OF

THE LARGEST IRON MANUFACTURERS
IN THE WORLD--

ALL THANKS TO THE RICH RESOURCES
AND WORKERS OF ALABAMA.

BIRMINGHAM'S SLOSS FURNACES
MAY BE QUIET TODAY,

BUT HERE OUTSIDE
THE TOWN OF CALVERT,

A GIANT NEW STEEL PLANT
HAS JUST BEEN FIRED UP,

AND PROMISES TO KEEP
THE STATE'S INDUSTRIAL LEGACY

BURNING BRIGHT.

IT'S SO BIG AND SO MODERN,

IT LOOKS MORE LIKE
A HIGH-END SHOPPING MALL

THAN A STEEL PLANT.

THIS IS THE NEW
THYSSENKRUPP STEEL MILL.

OPENED IN 2010,

THIS GERMAN-RUN FACILITY COST
NEARLY $5 BILLION TO BUILD--

THE LARGEST COMMERCIAL
INVESTMENT EVER

IN ALABAMA HISTORY.

ALL THE STEEL PROCESSED HERE

ARRIVES FROM
THE COMPANY'S PLANT IN BRAZIL

AS GIANT SLABS.

THEN IT'S HEATED TO
MORE THAN 2,000 DEGREES

AND THEN PRESSED INTO
COILS OF THIN STEEL.

OVERHEAD CRANES PICK UP
AND SHUTTLE THESE COILS

WITH REMARKABLE SPEED.

EACH ONE WEIGHS AS MUCH
AS TWO AFRICAN ELEPHANTS.

INSIDE THE PLANT'S TOWERING
GREEN STRUCTURES,

THE STEEL IS COATED WITH
EROSION-RESISTANT ZINC--

THE FINAL STEP BEFORE
IT'S READY TO BE SOLD.

BUT EVEN MORE REMARKABLE
IS THE FACILITY ITSELF.

IT WAS GERMAN COLOR DESIGNER
FRIEDRICH ERNST VON GARNIER

WHO GAVE THE PLANT
ITS UNIQUE LOOK.

RATHER THAN BEING
A HULKING EYESORE

ON ALABAMA'S COASTAL PLAIN,

VON GARNIER WANTED THE PLANT TO
HARMONIZE WITH THE LANDSCAPE

AND TO BE WELCOMING
TO ITS WORKERS.

COLOR, HE INSISTS, SHOULD BE
"MUSIC FOR THE EYE."

THERE'S A GOOD REASON THIS
GERMAN COMPANY CHOSE ALABAMA

FOR THE SITE OF
A NEW STEEL MILL.

THE STATE IS HOME TO THE ONLY
MERCEDES-BENZ PLANT IN THE U.S.,

WHICH LIES JUST OUTSIDE
THE CITY OF TUSCALOOSA.

A BILLION DOLLARS WORTH
OF MERCEDES-BENZ CARS

LEAVE THIS FACILITY
EVERY YEAR,

AND EACH ONE IS BUILT
WITH HIGH-QUALITY STEEL.

AND ALABAMA'S WORKERS AREN'T
JUST MAKING GERMAN CARS.

JUST OUTSIDE MONTGOMERY,

2,500 WORK HERE
ON THE ASSEMBLY LINES

INSIDE THIS HYUNDAI PLANT.

MORE THAN 7,000 NEW CARS
ARE BUILT HERE EVERY WEEK.

ALABAMA'S
AUTO MANUFACTURING SECTOR,

TOGETHER WITH ITS THRIVING
STEEL INDUSTRY,

HAS EARNED THE STATE
THE NICKNAME

THE DETROIT OF THE SOUTH.

THE THYSSENKRUPP MILL
WAS BUILT HERE

BECAUSE SHIPS
CARRYING STEEL SLABS

COULD REACH THE MILL EASILY FROM
ALABAMA'S PORT CITY OF MOBILE,

JUST 31 MILES TO THE SOUTH.

MORE THAN A CENTURY BEFORE
ALABAMA BECAME A STATE,

IT WAS PART OF FRENCH TERRITORY.

AND MOBILE WAS
THE CAPITAL OF LOUISIANA.

THAT'S WHY THE CITY'S DOWNTOWN

WAS HOME TO
THE FIRST MARDI GRAS,

LONG BEFORE NEW ORLEANS
STOLE MARDI GRAS GLORY.

AFTER COTTON FEVER
RAGED ACROSS ALABAMA,

ALMOST ALL OF THE STATE'S COTTON
PASSED THROUGH MOBILE

BEFORE SAILING OFF TO MILLS
AROUND THE WORLD.

ONE BRITISH VISITOR
IN 1858 WROTE,

"MOBILE IS A PLEASANT
COTTON CITY OF SOME 30,000,

WHERE THE PEOPLE LIVE
IN COTTON HOUSES

AND RIDE IN COTTON CARRIAGES.

THEY BUY COTTON, SELL COTTON,

THINK COTTON, EAT COTTON,

DRINK COTTON, AND DREAM COTTON."

FAMOUS RIGHT FIELDER HANK AARON
GREW UP JUST OUTSIDE THE CITY,

PICKING COTTON AS A CHILD

BEFORE HE HEADED OFF TO PLAY
WITH THE INDIANAPOLIS CLOWNS

AT THE AGE OF JUST 18,

AND WENT ON TO BECOME ONE OF
BASEBALL'S GREATEST LEGENDS.

THESE DAYS,
MOBILE'S MODERN PORT BUSTLES

NOT WITH COTTON, BUT COAL.

THIS IS THE LARGEST IMPORT COAL
TERMINAL IN THE U.S.

THE McDUFFIE TERMINAL
CAN PROCESS

MORE THAN 15 MILLION TONS
OF COAL A YEAR.

BUT THE VAST MAJORITY OF IT
IS NOT FROM ALABAMA,

AND NOT EVEN FROM
THE UNITED STATES.

COAL FROM AROUND THE WORLD
IS UNLOADED AT McDUFFIE

AND IS THEN SENT ON TRAINS
AND OTHER SHIPS

TO POWER AND STEEL PLANTS
ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

THIS GIANT SCOOPER, CALLED
A BUCKET WHEEL EXCAVATOR,

LOADS COAL ONTO CONVEYOR BELTS
WITH AMAZING SPEED.

THIS PORT CAN FILL UP
A BULK CARRIER

WITH 25 TONS OF COAL
EVERY MINUTE.

ALL THE CARGO THAT ARRIVES HERE

MUST FIRST TRAVEL
THROUGH MOBILE BAY.

TO PROTECT THIS VITAL
SHIPPING ROUTE,

THE STATE OF ALABAMA
BUILT FORT MORGAN

SOON AFTER ALABAMA
BECAME A STATE.

THE AREA WAS LATER THE SCENE

OF ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS
PHRASES OF THE CIVIL WAR.

CONFEDERATE TROOPS USED THE FORT

TO DEFEND ALABAMA
FROM UNION SHIPS.

ON AUGUST 5, 1864,

DURING THE BATTLE OF MOBILE BAY,

THEY FIRED ON A UNION FLEET
AS IT PASSED THE ISLAND.

ONE OF THE SHIPS
TOOK A DIRECT HIT,

BUT THE UNION ADMIRAL
DAVID FARRAGUT

COMMANDED THE FLEET
TO CONTINUE ON,

ISSUING HIS NOW-FAMOUS ORDER,

"DAMN THE TORPEDOES.
FULL SPEED AHEAD."

IT WAS THE LAST MAJOR
NAVAL BATTLE OF THE CIVIL WAR

AND FINALLY GAVE THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT FULL CONTROL

OF ALL PORTS ON
THE GULF OF MEXICO.

FIVE YEARS BEFORE THIS VICTORY,
ON AN AUTUMN NIGHT IN 1859,

A SHIP NAMED THE CLOTILDA
ROUNDED THE BEND OF THIS FORT

ON ITS WAY TO
THE PORT OF MOBILE.

THE U.S. HAD BANNED
THE INTERNATIONAL SLAVE TRADE

50 YEARS EARLIER.

BUT IN THE CARGO HOLD OF
THE CLOTILDA THAT NIGHT

WERE SLAVES FROM THE
WEST AFRICAN COUNTRY OF BENIN.

UNDER THE COVER OF NIGHT,
AND FEARING ARREST,

THE CAPTAIN TRANSFERRED HIS
ILLEGAL CARGO ONTO SMALLER BOATS

AND FERRIED THE AFRICAN MEN AND
WOMEN TO PLANTATIONS UPRIVER.

THEY COULDN'T BE SOLD AS SLAVES,

BUT WERE PUT TO WORK AND
ONLY FREED AFTER THE CIVIL WAR.

UNABLE TO AFFORD PASSAGE HOME,

THEY STARTED THEIR OWN COMMUNITY
HERE JUST NORTH OF MOBILE--

THE FIRST TOWN IN THE COUNTRY
FOUNDED BY AFRICAN AMERICANS.

IT'S BEEN CALLED AFRICATOWN
EVER SINCE.

RIGHT UP UNTIL THE 1950s,
SOME RESIDENTS HERE

SPOKE THE AFRICAN LANGUAGES
OF THEIR ANCESTORS.

TODAY, MANY WHO LIVE HERE ARE
DESCENDANTS OF THE MEN AND WOMEN

WHO ORIGINALLY ARRIVED
ON THE CLOTILDA.

THE END OF THE CIVIL WAR BROUGHT
FREEDOM TO ALABAMA'S SLAVES,

BUT THAT DIDN'T MEAN THEY WERE
TREATED EQUALLY TO WHITES

UNDER THE LAW.

AND IT WAS HERE IN ALABAMA

WHERE SOME OF AMERICA'S TOUGHEST
CIVIL RIGHTS BATTLES

WERE FOUGHT AND WON.

THERE MAY BE NO ACT OF COURAGE

IN AMERICA'S
CIVIL RIGHTS HISTORY

MORE POWERFUL THAN THAT OF
THE 42-YEAR-OLD SEAMSTRESS

NAMED ROSA PARKS.

ON THE EVENING OF
DECEMBER 1, 1955,

THE AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN
BOARDED A PUBLIC BUS

IN MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA,
TO TAKE HER HOME AFTER WORK.

SHE GOT ON AT A BUS STOP

THAT WAS THEN LOCATED HERE
AT COURT SQUARE.

PARKS SAT DOWN
IN THE CENTER OF THE BUS.

AT THE TIME,
DUE TO JIM CROW LAWS,

LEGALIZED SEGREGATION
WAS IN FULL SWING.

AND AT THE THIRD STOP,

THE BUS DRIVER ORDERED HER
TO GIVE UP HER SEAT

TO A WHITE MAN.

WHEN PARKS REFUSED,
SHE WAS QUICKLY ARRESTED.

BUT HER ACTIONS WOULD INSPIRE
THOUSANDS MORE.

AFRICAN AMERICANS ACROSS
MONTGOMERY RALLIED TO HER CAUSE

AND LAUNCHED A BOYCOTT OF
THE CITY'S BUS SYSTEM.

THE MAN THEY CHOSE
TO LEAD THAT BOYCOTT

WAS A YOUNG MINISTER NAMED
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

HIS DEXTER AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH
STOOD LESS THAN HALF A MILE

FROM THE SITE WHERE PARKS
HAD BOARDED THE BUS.

THE CHURCH BECAME THE EPICENTER
OF THE MONTGOMERY BUS BOYCOTT,

THE FIRST NON-VIOLENT
MASS PROTEST

OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.

FOR MORE THAN A YEAR,

THOUSANDS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS
IN AND AROUND MONTGOMERY

REFUSED TO RIDE ON CITY BUSES.

THEY GOT TO AND FROM WORK BY
ORGANIZING CAR POOLS INSTEAD.

SOME EVEN WALKED FROM AS FAR
AS EIGHT MILES AWAY.

SINCE 75% OF RIDERS
ON THE BUS SYSTEM

AT THE TIME WERE BLACK,

IT WAS A MAJOR BLOW
TO THE CITY'S ECONOMY.

THE BOYCOTT ALSO SPAWNED
A WIDE RANGE OF DEMONSTRATIONS

AND SIT-INS ACROSS THE SOUTH,

ALL IN PROTEST OF SEGREGATION.

FINALLY, IN DECEMBER 1956,
AFTER AN APPEAL,

THE U.S. SUPREME COURT RULED

THAT ALABAMA'S BUS SEGREGATION
WAS UNCONSTITUTIONAL.

THE BOYCOTT HAD BEEN A SUCCESS.

IN ALABAMA BLACKS COULD NOW,

LEGALLY, SIT WHEREVER
THEY WANTED ON CITY BUSES.

TODAY THE ROSA PARKS LIBRARY AND
MUSEUM IN DOWNTOWN MONTGOMERY

CHRONICLES HER LIFE AND
THE IMPORTANT ROLE SHE PLAYED

IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.

THE YEAR AFTER
THE BOYCOTT ENDED,

PARKS, FEARING SHE'D BE
THE VICTIM OF RACIST ATTACKS,

MOVED TO MICHIGAN WHERE
SHE LIVED UNTIL SHE DIED IN 2005

AT THE AGE OF 92.

DESPITE THE BUS BOYCOTT'S
SUCCESS,

REAL CHANGE IN ALABAMA,
AND ACROSS AMERICA,

WOULD TAKE ANOTHER FULL DECADE.

IN 1963, THE STATE'S NEW
GOVERNOR, GEORGE WALLACE,

STOOD HERE ON THE ALABAMA
STATE CAPITOL STEPS

AND PROUDLY DECLARED IN
HIS INAUGURATION SPEECH,

"SEGREGATION TODAY,
SEGREGATION TOMORROW,

SEGREGATION FOREVER."

BUT WITHIN TWO YEARS
OF THIS SPEECH,

ALABAMA WAS ROCKED BY ONE OF
THE BIGGEST CIVIL RIGHTS EVENTS

IN AMERICAN HISTORY,

AND ONE THAT WOULD DESTROY
WALLACE'S DREAMS.

IT STARTED HERE IN
THE CITY OF SELMA,

LOCATED ON A CURVE IN
THE ALABAMA RIVER.

IN 1870, THE 15th AMENDMENT
TO THE U.S. CONSTITUTION

HAD GIVEN BLACKS IN AMERICA
THE RIGHT TO VOTE.

BUT FOR NEARLY A CENTURY,

ALABAMA AND OTHER STATES
HAD POLICIES IN PLACE

TO ENSURE THAT FEW BLACKS
COULD ACTUALLY REGISTER

TO CAST THEIR BALLOTS.

HERE IN DALLAS COUNTY,

ONLY ABOUT 2% OF BLACKS OF
VOTING AGE COULD ACTUALLY VOTE.

BUT THAT WAS ALL
ABOUT TO CHANGE.

ON MARCH 7, 1965,

MORE THAN 500 AFRICAN AMERICANS
GATHERED HERE

IN FRONT OF SELMA'S
BROWN CHAPEL AME CHURCH

TO PROTEST ALABAMA'S
VOTING RIGHTS POLICIES.

THEY PLANNED TO MARCH
TO MONTGOMERY,

THE STATE CAPITAL,
54 MILES AWAY.

LEADING THAT PROTEST WAS
REVEREND MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

KING LED THE MARCHERS THROUGH
THE STREETS OF SELMA

AND THEN DOWN BROAD STREET.

BUT AS THEY REACHED
THE EDMUND PETTUS BRIDGE,

THEY WERE MET BY A WALL OF
STATE AND LOCAL POLICE

WHO DESCENDED ON THE PROTESTERS,

BEATING THEM WITH BILLY CLUBS,
BULLWHIPS,

AND RUBBER TUBING
COVERED WITH BARBED WIRE.

ARMS AND LEGS WERE BROKEN,
AND SKULLS SHATTERED,

ON A TERRIFYING DAY THAT CAME
TO BE KNOWN AS "BLOODY SUNDAY."

THE EVENT, BROADCAST
ON NATIONAL NEWS,

CAPTIVATED AND HORRIFIED
THE NATION.

THOUSANDS SOON POURED INTO SELMA

TO LEND THEIR SUPPORT
TO THE MARCHERS.

TWO WEEKS LATER,

THEY ALL GATHERED HERE
IN THE FRONT OF THE CHURCH.

ONCE AGAIN,
WITH KING AT THE LEAD,

THEY MADE THEIR WAY DOWN
THE STREETS OF SELMA

TOWARD THE EDMUND PETTUS BRIDGE.

BUT THIS TIME, KING WAS ARMED

WITH A RULING FROM
A FEDERAL JUDGE

THAT PERMITTED
THE MARCH TO CONTINUE.

THE POLICE COULD DO
NOTHING TO STOP THEM

AS THEY CROSSED THE BRIDGE
ON THEIR WAY TO THE CAPITAL.

FROM SELMA, KING AND
THE MARCHERS HEADED EAST.

THEY FOLLOWED ROUTE 80 ON FOOT,

WALKING FOR FIVE DAYS
THROUGH CHILLING RAIN,

AND CAMPING EACH NIGHT
ALONG THE WAY.

THE ROUTE OF THIS
NOW-FAMOUS MARCH IS KNOWN AS

THE SELMA TO MONTGOMERY
NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL.

IT WAS ON MARCH 25, 1965,

THAT THE 25,000 MARCHERS
FINALLY ARRIVED IN MONTGOMERY.

THEY GATHERED HERE AT
THE ALABAMA STATE HOUSE

TO HEAR MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
DELIVER HIS NOW-FAMOUS SPEECH,

KNOWN AS "HOW LONG? NOT LONG."

"THEY TOLD US WE WOULDN'T
GET HERE," KING DECLARED.

"AND THERE WERE THOSE WHO SAID
THAT WE WOULD GET HERE

ONLY OVER THEIR DEAD BODIES.

BUT ALL THE WORLD TODAY
KNOWS THAT WE ARE HERE,

AND WE ARE STANDING BEFORE
THE FORCES OF POWER

IN THE STATE OF ALABAMA,

SAYING, 'WE AIN'T GONNA
LET NOBODY TURN US AROUND.'"

KING'S SPEECH AND THE VOICES
OF THE MARCHERS WERE HEARD

IN EVERY CORNER OF THE NATION.

LESS THAN FIVE MONTHS LATER,

PRESIDENT JOHNSON SIGNED

THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 1965
INTO LAW,

WHICH GUARANTEED THAT BLACKS
COULD REGISTER TO VOTE

JUST AS EASILY AS WHITES COULD.

IT WAS A DEFINING MOMENT IN
AMERICA'S CIVIL RIGHTS STRUGGLE.

ALABAMA'S NOT AN EASY STATE
TO PIGEONHOLE.

FOR SOME,

IT'S A PLACE OF DEFINING
VICTORIES OVER INJUSTICE,

AND ONE RICH WITH THE HISTORY
OF FIRE AND FORGE.

SOME KNOW ALABAMA AS THE HOME
OF CRIMSON TIDE FOOTBALL.

BUT FOR OTHERS, THIS STATE IS
WHAT LIES AT THE END

OF A LONG ANNUAL
PILGRIMAGE HERE,

TO ONE OF NASCAR'S
MOST FAMOUS TRACKS--

THE TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY.

THOUSANDS COME HERE EVERY YEAR
AND CAMP OUT IN THEIR RVs.

THE AIR OVER THE TRACK IS THICK

WITH THE SMOKE FROM HUNDREDS
OF PRE-RACE BARBECUES.

THIS IS THE BIGGEST, FASTEST
AND MOST COMPETITIVE TRACK

ON THE NASCAR CIRCUIT.

IT WAS HERE IN 2004

THAT DRIVER RUSTY WALLACE
HIT 228 MILES PER HOUR

DURING A PRACTICE RUN,

MAKING HISTORY AS
THE FASTEST RECORDED TIME

ON A CLOSED OVAL TRACK.

TALLADEGA IS ALSO ONE OF THE
MOST DANGEROUS NASCAR SPEEDWAYS.

ITS STEEP BANKS AND
48-FOOT-WIDE RACETRACK

ALLOW UP TO FIVE CARS
TO RACE SIDE-BY-SIDE,

WHICH HAS RESULTED
IN MANY CRASHES--

SO MANY THAT SOME BELIEVE
THE TRACK IS CURSED.

THEY CALL IT
THE "TALLADEGA JINX."

IT WAS ON THIS TRACK THAT
ACTOR WILL FERRELL FILMED

THE 2006 COMEDY
"TALLADEGA NIGHTS,"

CRASHING HIS RACECAR,
AND THEN SPRINTING ON FOOT

TO THE FINISH LINE
TO TRY AND BEAT HIS COMPETITOR,

PLAYED BY COMEDIAN
SACHA BARON COHEN.

BUT NORTHEAST OF THE SPEEDWAY,
IT'S A VERY DIFFERENT SCENE.

TREES STRETCH AS FAR
AS THE EYE CAN SEE.

THIS IS THE TALLADEGA
NATIONAL FOREST,

AN ALABAMA TREASURE--

ONE OF THE MOST BIOLOGICALLY
DIVERSE WOODLANDS IN THE WORLD.

IT'S HOME TO NEARLY
30 SPECIES OF TREES.

POPLARS, DOGWOODS, HICKORIES,
AND MAPLES ALL THRIVE HERE,

EACH TURNING A DIFFERENT
BRILLIANT COLOR IN FALL.

EASTERN ALABAMA IS WELL-KNOWN
FOR ITS NATURAL WONDERS.

THESE ROCKS POKING
ABOVE THE TREES

ARE A SACRED SITE
FOR THE CHEROKEE,

THOUGH MOST CHEROKEE WERE FORCED
OUT OF ALABAMA IN THE 1830s

AND SENT WEST ON THE INFAMOUS
TRAIL OF TEARS.

TODAY, CHEROKEE ROCK VILLAGE IS
POPULAR WITH HIKERS AND CLIMBERS

WHO USE THE ROCKS TO
TEST THEIR SKILLS.

JUST NORTH LIES
LITTLE RIVER CANYON.

THIS IS ONE OF THE LONGEST
RIVERS IN THE WORLD

THAT RUNS ON TOP OF
A MOUNTAIN PLATEAU.

THIS FALL, THE RIVER IS
NO MORE THAN A TRICKLE,

BUT WHEN IT SWELLS
IN THE SPRING,

IT'S A KAYAKER'S PARADISE.

THE MOST DARING ARE KNOWN

TO RIDE RIGHT OVER
LITTLE RIVER FALLS.

BUT THIS ONE LAUNCHED
HUMANS TO THE MOON.

A ROCKET TOWERS HIGH OVER
THE ALABAMA CITY OF HUNTSVILLE.

IT'S A SATURN FIVE,

THE MOST POWERFUL LAUNCH VEHICLE
EVER SENT INTO SPACE.

THE STORY OF HOW HUNTSVILLE CAME
TO BE KNOWN AS "ROCKET CITY"

BEGINS AT A FORMER MILITARY BASE
JUST OUTSIDE OF TOWN.

IN 1945, AT THE END
OF WORLD WAR II,

THE U.S. GOVERNMENT SMUGGLED
A GROUP OF GERMAN SCIENTISTS

INTO THE UNITED STATES TO
KEEP THEM OUT OF RUSSIAN HANDS.

IT WAS A PROGRAM CODE-NAMED
"OPERATION PAPERCLIP."

ONE OF THOSE SCIENTISTS,
NAMED DR. WERNHER VON BRAUN,

HAD WORKED TO DEVELOP ROCKETS
FOR HITLER.

THE U.S. GOVERNMENT
WANTED HIS EXPERTISE

DESPITE HIS NAZI SYMPATHIES.

SO STARTING IN 1950,
VON BRAUN WORKED HERE

ON THE GROUNDS OF THE
U.S. ARMY'S REDSTONE ARSENAL.

HE LED A TEAM OF GERMAN
AND AMERICAN SCIENTISTS

TO DEVELOP A ROCKET THAT COULD
ONE DAY CARRY HUMANS INTO SPACE.

IN 1958,

PRESIDENT EISENHOWER SIGNED
LEGISLATION TO CREATE NASA,

WHICH SOON ESTABLISHED
THE MARSHALL SPACE CENTER

HERE AT REDSTONE,

NASA'S FIRST HOME.

BY THE LATE 1960s,

VON BRAUN'S TEAM HAD TESTED
32 OF THEIR SATURN DESIGNS.

NOT A SINGLE ONE FAILED.

FINALLY, IN 1969,
POWERED BY A SATURN FIVE,

NEIL ARMSTRONG AND BUZZ ALDRIN
LIFTED OFF,

AND BECAME THE FIRST TO
SET FOOT ON THE MOON.

THANKS TO
THE MARSHALL SPACE CENTER,

HUNTSVILLE IS ALSO HOME TO ONE
OF THE BIGGEST CONCENTRATIONS

OF HIGH-TECH COMPANIES
IN THE COUNTRY.

SIEMENS, BOEING,

AND A WIDE RANGE OF OTHER
AEROSPACE-RELATED FIRMS,

WHOSE NAMES ARE LESS FAMILIAR
TO THE PUBLIC,

ALL CALL HUNTSVILLE HOME.

HUNTSVILLE CONTINUES TO LIVE UP
TO ITS NICKNAME "ROCKET CITY."

INSIDE THE McMORROW MISSILE
LABORATORIES,

SCIENTISTS DEVELOP A WIDE RANGE
OF MISSILES FOR MILITARY USE.

AND THE NEARBY
HUNTSVILLE AIRPORT

IS STILL A PLACE TO SEE
AMAZING FLYING MACHINES--

LIKE THIS BOEING DREAMLIFTER,

ONE OF THE HIGHEST CAPACITY
CARGO PLANES IN THE WORLD.

THE FORTUNES OF MANY IN ALABAMA
ARE STILL SOARING

ON THE FRONTIER OF
SPACE EXPLORATION.

BUT MOST IN THIS STATE STILL
LIVE AND WORK BY AGE-OLD RHYTHMS

DEFINED BY ALABAMA'S
FERTILE FIELDS

AND THE RICH RESOURCES OF
ITS LAND AND WATER...

RESOURCES LIKE THOSE
IN THESE GIANT PONDS.

ONCE THIS WAS COTTON COUNTRY,

BUT NOW THIS FARMER IS
SHOOTING PELLETS OF FOOD

INTO HIS FLOODED FIELDS--

FOOD TO FEED
FARM-RAISED CATFISH.

THE CATFISH INDUSTRY KICKED OFF
HERE IN ALABAMA IN THE 1960s.

THOUSANDS OF THESE FISH CAN BE
RAISED IN A SINGLE POND.

AND SINCE CATFISH
HAVE BIG STOMACHS,

THEY ONLY NEED TO BE FED
ONCE A DAY.

BUT WHEN THE FISH
COME UP TO FEED,

THEY'RE EASY PREY FOR
ALABAMA'S WOOD STORKS,

ONE OF THE STATE'S
ENDANGERED SPECIES.

TURNING FIELDS INTO FISH FARMS

IS ONE WAY PEOPLE IN ALABAMA
HAVE ADAPTED TO CHANGING TIMES.

BUT SOME STILL CONTINUE
TO MAKE A LIVING HERE

JUST AS THEIR ANCESTORS DID...

THE FISHERMEN OF MOBILE BAY.

THERE'S AN OLD SAYING
IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD

THAT THERE ARE
FOUR SEASONS HERE--

SHRIMP, OYSTER, CRAB,
AND, OF COURSE, FISH.

WHEN THE SUN SETS OVER THE BAY,

THESE MEN AND WOMEN
WILL HEAD HOME...

...TO ONE OF ALABAMA'S
OLDEST FISHING PORTS,

FOUNDED WAY BACK IN 1786.

THE PORT OF BAYOU LA BATRE
IS LOCATED

ON ALABAMA'S TINY,
53-MILE COAST,

SEPARATED BY JUST
A NARROW BARRIER ISLAND

FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO.

THIS QUIET FISHING PORT IS KNOWN
TO MANY AROUND THE WORLD,

THANKS TO ITS STARRING ROLE

IN THE 1994 BLOCKBUSTER
"FORREST GUMP."

IT WAS HERE WHERE
THE FICTIONAL FORREST,

FAMOUSLY PLAYED BY TOM HANKS,

COMES TO VISIT HIS BUDDY BUBBA

AND LAUNCHES HIS OWN
SHRIMPING BOAT.

DURING HURRICANE KATRINA,

HALF THE HOUSES IN
BAYOU LA BATRE WERE DESTROYED.

LOSSES TO THE FISHING INDUSTRY
WERE ESTIMATED AT $112 MILLION.

BUT STILL, EVERY MORNING,

MEN AND WOMEN FROM
BAYOU LA BATRE

HEAD OUT INTO THE BAY
HOPING FOR A GOOD DAY'S CATCH.

AND, SURPRISINGLY,

THE OIL INDUSTRY MAY BE
HELPING THEIR CHANCES.

MANY THINK OF OIL AND GAS RIGS
AS THREATS TO THE ENVIRONMENT,

BUT PEOPLE HERE IN MOBILE BAY

KNOW THEY CAN ALSO
CREATE A BOON.

BELOW WATER, THE LEGS OF THESE
RIGS ACT LIKE ARTIFICIAL REEFS

TO CREATE HABITATS FOR FISH,
INCLUDING SPECKLED TROUT.

MANY TOURISTS WHO COME TO
ALABAMA JUST TO GO FISHING

HEAD RIGHT FOR THESE PLATFORMS.

THERE'S NO ONE PHRASE
THAT CAN SUM UP ALABAMA.

SOME CALL IT THE COTTON STATE,

BUT THERE'S MUCH MORE
TO THIS FERTILE LAND

THAN ITS WHITE FIELDS OF GOLD.

IT'S ALSO A PLACE OF
ENDLESS WATERS,

WHOSE BANKS ARE
RICH WITH STORIES

THAT SPAN THE HISTORY
OF THE NATION--

FROM THE SETTLEMENTS OF
AMERICA'S EARLY INHABITANTS,

TO THE TERRIFYING SIEGE

THAT CARVED ALABAMA
OUT OF VIRGIN FOREST,

TO THE BRAVE
CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS

WHO FORGED A PATH TO FREEDOM
FOR MILLIONS...

...TO RAGING FIRES LIT
TO REGENERATE THE LAND.

EVEN THOUGH SCIENTISTS HERE
HELPED SEND HUMANS TO THE MOON,

LOCALS LIKE TO CALL
THEIR SOUTHERN STATE

THE HEART OF DIXIE,

OR MORE SIMPLY,
JUST SWEET HOME ALABAMA.