The Panama Canal, located in the Isthmus of Panama, is a sea route connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, thus allowing ships to sail through a much shorter route than what it would have been were they forced to travel via the Cape of Horn. However, the first attempt to build the desired canal was in January 1881. That saves days. He also eliminated the rats that carried bubonic plague. The Panama Canal is believed by many to be one the greatest achievements in engineering ever accomplished. RE: why was the panama canal important? The Panama Canal shortens the trip from 13,000 miles to 5,200 miles. On the second day he took the controls of a 95-ton Bucyrus shovel, a moment that epitomized his … The Panama Canal was made by building dams on the Chagres River to create Gatun Lake and Lake Madden, digging the Gaillard Cut from the river between the two lakes and over the Continental Divide, building locks between the Atlantic Ocean and Gatun Lake to lift boats to the lake and another set of locks at the end of the Gaillard Cut to lower ships, and digging a channel to the Pacific Ocean. In spite of Ferdinand de Lesseps’ efforts, the construction team faced so many challenges such as the harsh climate, lack of an ancient route, the dense jungle, and diseases such as yellow fever and malaria. 6 years ago. Neddy. One of the unexpected benefits of building the Panama Canal was the discovery that mosquitoes carry yellow fever and malaria. San Francisco hosted the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, which celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal, along with the city's recovery from a devastating earthquake in 1906. Early European explorers of the Americas identified the narrow band of land between northern and southern America as an ideal place to construct a canal to link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Around 9,000 people currently work for the Panama Canal. It enabled shippers to cheaply transport different types of goods within a short period of time. Seventy percent of the cargo that the United States imports and exports goes through this canal. Timeline 1889: The French abandon an unsuccessful attempt to build a canal through Panama connecting the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. The construction of the canal not only made international trade easier but cheaper and more convenient too. While building the canal a total of 5,609 lives were lost due to accidents, malaria or yellow fever. Panama Canal Symbolizes U.S. Geopolitical, Technological Power Steve Inskeep talks to Harvard professor Noel Maurer about the Panama Canal … Northern Lights (Aurora) | Best Places To See The Northern Lights; Panama Canal history; Golden Gate Bridge San Francisco | Golden Gate Bridge History & Facts; … It cost more than $380 million to build and took more than nine years to complete. The conditions were so unfavorable that in 1884 they would record 200 deaths every month. When he first took office in 1901 (following the assassination of President William McKinley), the Panama Canal project was a recently-abandoned disaster. This is not only helpful in providing a way to transport goods but creates many jobs within the process. By the time the canal was finished, there was a lot less malaria because of Gorgas' work. History of Panama Canal. Today, the canal remains an important part of international trade. In 1513, Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa became the first European to discover that the Isthmus of Panama was just a slim land bridge separating the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Balboa’s discovery sparked a search for a natural waterway linking the two oceans. The Panama Canal was built to reduce the distance that ships had to travel to pass between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.