Wernher von Braun and Operation Paperclip
In 1950, Dr. Wernher von Braun and a team of German rocket scientists — recruited under Operation Paperclip after World War II — relocated to Redstone Arsenal. Their work on ballistic missiles and eventually the Saturn V launch vehicle transformed Huntsville from a cotton and textile economy into the engineering capital of America's space program, earning it the nickname "Rocket City, U.S.A."