I have ceased to be suprised by anything Donald Trump says or does. In those early days when he wanted to buy Canada and Greenland, he also wanted to take control of the Panama Canal. Now the 18th of November is a significant date for the Panama Canal because on this date in 1901 Britain and the U.S. signed the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty which nullified the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty and withdrew British objections to an American controlled canal in Panama. Then on the same date in 1903 the United States and Panama signed the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty giving the United States exclusive rights over the Panama Canal Zone.
The idea of a canal across Central America dates back to the early colonial period. Spanish explorers in the 16th century, including Vasco Núñez de Balboa, first realised the strategic potential of the narrow Panamanian isthmus after crossing it and sighting the Pacific Ocean. However, building a canal was impossible at the time due to the limitations of contemporary technology, challenging terrain, and the prevalence of deadly tropical diseases. Sir Francis Drake died off the coast of Panama through dysentery.
Serious proposals for a canal emerged in the 19th century, particularly as the California Gold Rush of the 1840s and the expansion of international maritime trade highlighted the need for a faster route between oceans. The first successful infrastructure project in the area was the Panama Railroad, completed in 1855, which provided a vital overland connection and hinted at the potential for a canal.
The French were the first to attempt the construction of the canal. In 1881, Ferdinand de Lesseps, the celebrated engineer behind the Suez Canal, launched the ambitious project. He envisioned a sea-level canal similar to Suez, but this plan underestimated the challenges of Panama’s mountainous terrain, frequent tropical rains, and rampant diseases such as malaria and yellow fever. The project soon became a disaster. Landslides, flooding, and massive loss of life among workers plagued the effort. By 1889, the French company had gone bankrupt, and the failed venture became a cautionary tale in engineering history.
Attention turned to the United States at the turn of the 20th century, driven by both commercial and strategic interests. The U.S. recognised the canal’s potential to reduce the journey between the Atlantic and Pacific by thousands of miles, which would benefit trade and naval operations alike. After securing the rights to the French assets and negotiating the 1903 Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty with the newly independent Republic of Panama, the United States officially took over the project.
American engineers and planners learned from the French failure, opting for a lock-based canal rather than a sea-level route. This approach allowed ships to be lifted and lowered over the central highlands, with Gatun Lake, an artificial lake formed by damming the Chagres River, serving as a crucial component. Equally vital to success was the extensive public health campaign led by Dr. William C. Gorgas, which focused on controlling mosquito-borne diseases. Through widespread fumigation, drainage of stagnant water, and improved sanitation, the death toll among workers dramatically decreased.
Construction began in earnest in 1904 and continued for a decade. The project required the movement of millions of cubic metres of earth and rock, the building of massive concrete locks, and the creation of complex mechanical systems. Despite the challenges, the Panama Canal was completed in 1914, opening officially on the 15th of August with the passage of the SS Ancon. This moment marked not only an engineering triumph but also a significant milestone in global trade, as ships could now travel between the oceans far more quickly than by rounding Cape Horn.
Over the 20th century, the Panama Canal became a crucial artery of international commerce and a symbol of human ingenuity. Control of the canal remained with the United States until the 1977 Torrijos–Carter Treaties, which set the stage for its eventual transfer to Panama in 1999. Since then, the canal has undergone major expansions, including the opening of new locks in 2016 to accommodate larger vessels.