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Early French Proposals and Attempt (1880s)
The idea of a having a canal cross Panama goes all the way back to the early 16th century, but real proposals started in the 19th century. The French, led by Ferdinand de Lesseps (who built the Suez Canal), attempted to construct the canal in the 1880s but there were too many challenges,and it ended in failure in '89 -
Treaty over Who was in Control (1903)
The U.S. negotiated the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty with Panama in 1903, bassically letting the U.S. have control over the Panama Canal Zone in exchange for financial compensation and protection of Panama's sovereignty. This treaty was controversial and led to tensions between the U.S. and Latin American countries later on. -
U.S. Involvements (1904-1914)
After the French failure, the United States took over the project in 1904. The U.S. had significant engineering advancements and public health measures to combat diseases like malaria and yellow fever that had led to the earlier failures. The canal was officially completed and opened on August 15, 1914. -
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Strategic Importance and World Events
The Panama Canal became a crucial route for so much travel, it really reduced travel time for ships between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Its strategic importance was highlighted during World War I and World War II, as it was in the center of a ton of naval operations and trade. -
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Transfer of Control to Panama
In the late 20th century, there was lots of nationalism in panama that ended up leading to negotiations for the transfer of the canal and who had control. The Torrijos-Carter Treaties, signed in 1977, established a timeline for the U.S. to relinquish control, ending with the complete transfer of the canal to Panama on December 31, 1999.