American Event #1

My first US Event (not related to the war) is the opening of the Panama Canal, on August 15th, 1914. The US played a huge role in the construction of the Panama Canal, spending the ten years before the opening toiling away, building the humongous canal between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Before the US worked out a treaty with the Panamanians, the French had attempted to start construction on the Canal. Due to a lack of funds to finish the project, and major human losses, the French abandoned work on the Canal. The Canal was a major contribution to worldwide shipping, and made getting from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans and vice versa much easier. I think it is one of the greatest contributions that the US has made to the world as a whole, due to the fact that it is still in use, and is used by ships from all over the world on a daily basis.