Marvel at a Feat of Engineering While Relaxing Deckside with Holland America Line

The (Abridged) History of the Panama Canal

While the prospect of the Panama Canal was proposed several times throughout history — first in 1534 by the King of Spain, and then 1668 by an English philosopher, and then again in 1788 by most of America at large — construction on the canal as we know it did not begin until 1881, by the French. The project was headed by Ferdinand de Lesseps, the one and same responsible for the successful construction of the Suez Canal (small world!). Unlike the Suez Canal, however, was the added complexity of the lush tropical rainforests, oppressively humid climate, the need for canal locks, the complete lack of any pre-established route to follow and of course — the eight-month-long rainy season.

The French flailed and faltered in construction for roughly two decades. Then, in 1903, the United States bought the project for $10 million (plus an annual payment), promptly backed the Panamanian separatists in their revolution from Colombia and helped secure the fledgling nation’s independence before finally beginning construction in 1904. A decade later, the canal was complete, forever changing the face of global trade and putting Panama on the map in a wholly unique way