08/16/2022
Learn Our History Today: On August 15, 1914, the Panama Canal was completed and inaugurated by the passage of the U.S. vessel Ancon. The idea for the Canal had originally come about in the mid-1800s, when a rush of settlers to California and Oregon prompted thoughts on a significantly quicker way to get from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean without going all the way around South America. A railroad was soon completed across the Isthmus of Panama, the shortest point between oceans, but a water route was quickly needed.
A French company that had been involved in the construction of the Suez Canal was called in to do the job, but unfortunately, they were soon bogged down by tropical disease and financial problems. At the turn of the century, following the Spanish-American war, the United States acquired a large overseas empire from Spain and an easy way to get from ocean to ocean became a top priority. After negotiating a deal to buy the French company, the United States worked out a treaty with the Colombian government, which was sovereign over Panama, for use of the Isthmus in exchange for financial compensation.
Although the higher-ups in the Colombian government may have wanted the treaty, it quickly became apparent that the Colombian senate did not feel the same way and the treaty was struck down. In response to this disappointment, America, under the leadership of President Theodore Roosevelt, threw its support behind the Panamanian independence movement, and within months Panama was an independent nation and a treaty had been worked out with the United States. Construction on the Panama Canal began as soon as possible, and by 1914, 240 million cubic yards of dirt had been removed and 400 million dollars had been spent.
Also, on this day in U.S. history:
1939: "The Wizard of Oz” premieres at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The film starred Judy Garland as Dorothy.
1964: Mayor Daley declares "Ernie Banks Day" in Chicago honoring the MLB shortstop.
1969: The Woodstock Festival opens in Bethel, New York on Max Yasgur's Dairy Farm. Richie Havens, Tim Hardin, Ravi Shankar, Arlo Guthrie, and Joan Baez are some of the performers.
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Image-Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
