Panama Canal

Nonfiction • TV-14 • Directed by: Modern Marvels • 44 minutes

The building of a canal to link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans was at the time the largest and most expensive engineering project ever undertaken in the world. It took more than forty years from the time of its conception to the first transit by an oceangoing ship to complete the massive project. The endeavor was initially taken on by the French government; however, after the French relinquished their claim on building the canal in 1889, the U.S. became interested in finishing the project and agreed to pay Colombia - then owners of the property - $10 million, $250 thousand per year for the right to run the canal. In this in-depth program, The History Channel takes a journey through the captivating, yet tragic, history behind the building of the Panama Canal.