After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, President Roosevelt moved quickly to secure the electrical power needed for tens of thousands of new fighter planes for World War II. He turned to TVA and the undeveloped farming community of Fontana, NC, where a hydroelectric dam was built along the Little Tennessee River to generate power for a nearby manufacturer producing metal for the planes. Construction of Fontana Dam began in January 1942, drawing thousands of workers from around the country, and a new town with schools, a hospital, roads, and railways was built for their families. Three years later the dam was complete, and over the next 6 months it provided enough electricity to build 50,000 aircraft and help the U.S. win the war.