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The Panama canal was one of the most gargantuan and ambitious engineering feats in world history— based on the vision and determination of a few strong personalities— none of them were Colombian or Panamanian!!
The results of this impressive technological endeavor was that it streamlined East-west travel, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean , from three weeks down to only 12 hours.
The story is replete with monumental engineering marvels, uncompromisingly treacherous geological and weather conditions, savvy politics, colorful persuasive characters, France versus the US, failure on an epic scale, the largest bankruptcy in history, a deadly mysterious illness, colossal loss of life (30,000+), a silent bloodless coup, massive funding, immense corruption, sleazy creation of a new country, two oceans, full-blown Jim Crow protocols (even paying black workers significantly lower salaries in inferior currency), a misleading postage stamp, first US presidential visit to another country, stupendous egos, broad scale media spectacle, a choice between Nicaragua and Columbia, a choice between sea level and lock -style canal, and even a misnomer of a white hat. (The Panama hat is not from Panama; it’s from Ecuador.)
The most expensive transit was more than $1 million for a large ship and the least expensive transit was for a swimmer who paid $.36.
Panama city is the only city in the world where the sun rises in the pacific ocean and the sun sets in the Atlantic Ocean.
For more information, the two following documentaries:
A man, a plan, a canal, Panama. (read that backwards please!)
The history channel’s “the engineering that built the world episode number 4. The Panama Canal.” It originally aired October 31, 2021 and is available online including via YouTube.
