Panama Canal Timeline

(1881 - Present)

The Panama Canal is a 50-mile artificial waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans across the Isthmus of Panama. First attempted by France in the 1880s, the project was completed by the United States and opened in 1914, revolutionizing global maritime trade. The canal remained under U.S. control until it was transferred to Panama on December 31, 1999, and its capacity was expanded with new locks completed in 2016. More Less

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Early Conception and Surveys

Balboa crosses the Isthmus of Panama

Sep 25, 1513

Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa became the first European to see the Pacific Ocean after crossing the Isthmus of Panama, demonstrating the narrowness of the land bridge and inspiring centuries of dreams about a canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific.

Image source: Vasco Núñez de Balboa

Charles V orders first survey for a Panama canal route

1534

Holy Roman Emperor Charles V ordered a survey of the Isthmus of Panama to determine the feasibility of a canal that would allow Spanish ships to avoid the long voyage around South America, marking the first serious study of an interoceanic canal.

Image source: Panama Canal

Panama Railway completed across the isthmus

Jan 28, 1855

The Panama Railway, the world's first transcontinental railroad, was completed across the Isthmus of Panama. It proved invaluable during the California Gold Rush and later provided crucial infrastructure and experience for canal builders.

Image source: Panama Canal Railway

French Attempt

Ferdinand de Lesseps organizes the French canal company

1879

Ferdinand de Lesseps, fresh from his triumph building the Suez Canal, formed the Compagnie Universelle du Canal Interocéanique to build a sea-level canal across Panama, buoyed by international congress support in Paris.

Image source: History of the Panama Canal

French construction begins in Panama

Feb 1, 1881

The French began excavation for a sea-level canal through the rugged Panamanian terrain. The project was plagued by tropical diseases, landslides, engineering miscalculations, and enormous financial costs.

Image source: Attempts to build a canal across Nicaragua

Yellow fever and malaria devastate French workforce

1882 - 1889

Mosquito-borne diseases killed more than 20,000 workers during the French effort, as the link between mosquitoes and disease transmission was not yet understood, making the jungle camps deadly.

French canal company collapses amid scandal

Dec 15, 1888

The Panama Canal Company went bankrupt after spending over $280 million and losing roughly 20,000 lives. The ensuing financial scandal, known as the Panama scandals, rocked French politics and implicated numerous officials.

Image source: Panama scandals

American Construction

United States purchases French canal assets

1902

Following the Spooner Act authorizing the purchase, the United States agreed to buy the French company's assets and equipment in Panama for $40 million, setting the stage for American canal construction.

Image source: Hay–Herrán Treaty

Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty grants US control of the Canal Zone

Nov 18, 1903

Signed shortly after Panama's independence from Colombia, the treaty granted the United States perpetual control of a ten-mile-wide Canal Zone in exchange for payments to Panama, becoming a lasting source of tension between the two nations.

Image source: Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty

William Gorgas eradicates mosquito-borne diseases in the Canal Zone

1904 - 1914

Colonel William C. Gorgas led massive sanitation campaigns, draining swamps, fumigating homes, and screening windows, which dramatically reduced yellow fever and malaria deaths among canal workers.

Image source: William C. Gorgas

John Frank Stevens appointed chief engineer

Jul 26, 1905 - Apr 1, 1907

Stevens transformed the project by prioritizing sanitation, housing, and rail logistics. His decision to build a lock canal rather than a sea-level canal proved decisive for the project's success.

Image source: John Frank Stevens

George Washington Goethals takes command of construction

Apr 1, 1907

Army engineer George Washington Goethals assumed overall charge of the canal effort, overseeing the massive excavation of Gaillard Cut, dam construction, and lock building until completion in 1914.

Image source: George Washington Goethals

Gatun Dam completed, creating Gatun Lake

1913

The Gatun Dam, then the largest earth dam in the world, impounded the Chagres River to create Gatun Lake, at the time one of the largest artificial lakes on Earth and the heart of the canal's lock system.

Image source: Gatun Dam

Culebra Cut excavation completed

May 20, 1913

After years of battling landslides, workers finished excavating the Culebra Cut (later Gaillard Cut), the nine-mile mountain passage that was the most difficult section of the entire canal route.

Image source: Culebra Cut

SS Cristobal makes first full transit of the canal

Aug 3, 1914

The cargo ship SS Cristobal made the first complete ocean-to-ocean transit of the Panama Canal, testing the locks and channels just weeks before the official opening.

Image source: SS Panama (1939)

Panama Canal officially opens

Aug 15, 1914

The Panama Canal opened with the transit of the SS Ancon, revolutionizing global shipping by cutting the voyage between New York and San Francisco from around 13,000 miles to under 5,500 miles.

Operation and Expansion

Madden Dam completed to regulate canal water supply

1935

The Madden Dam (now Alajuela Dam) was built upstream on the Chagres River to control flooding and store additional water for the canal's operation, addressing seasonal water level fluctuations.

Image source: Madden Dam

Landslides close the canal during World War II era

Sep 1942 - Feb 1943

Major landslides in Gaillard Cut forced the closure of the canal for several months, highlighting the ongoing geological challenges of maintaining the waterway during its critical wartime role.

Martyrs' Day riots erupt over sovereignty

Jan 9, 1964

Anti-American riots broke out when Panamanian students attempted to raise their flag in the Canal Zone, leaving over 20 dead and galvanizing international pressure for renegotiation of canal treaties.

Torrijos–Carter Treaties signed

Sep 7, 1977

Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos and US President Jimmy Carter signed treaties guaranteeing Panama's eventual full control of the canal and ending the perpetual US occupation of the Canal Zone.

Image source: Torrijos–Carter Treaties

Canal Zone formally abolished

Oct 1, 1979

Under the new treaties, the Panama Canal Zone ceased to exist as a US territory, with joint administration beginning and a gradual transfer of operations to Panamanian authorities underway.

Image source: Panama Canal Zone

US invasion of Panama removes Manuel Noriega

Dec 20, 1989 - Jan 31, 1990

The United States invaded Panama to depose dictator Manuel Noriega, who had threatened the neutrality of the canal. The invasion occurred while the transfer process under the Torrijos–Carter Treaties continued.

Image source: United States invasion of Panama

Panama Canal handed over to Panama

Dec 31, 1999

The United States transferred full control of the Panama Canal to Panama, fulfilling the terms of the Torrijos–Carter Treaties. The newly created Panama Canal Authority took over operations.

Image source: Panama Canal Authority

Panama referendum approves canal expansion plan

Oct 22, 2006

Panamanians voted overwhelmingly in favor of a $5.25 billion expansion project to add a third set of larger locks capable of accommodating post-Panamax vessels.

Image source: Panama Canal expansion project

Construction begins on third set of locks

Sep 2007

Work commenced on the expansion program, including new Pacific and Atlantic lock complexes, widened and deepened navigation channels, and dredging of Gatun Lake and Gaillard Cut.

First post-Panamax vessel delivered for testing

2014

As the neared completion, the canal prepared to receive New Panamax ships up to 366 meters long and 49 meters wide, vastly increasing the size of vessels it could handle.

Image source: Panamax

Expanded canal opens with transit of Cosco Shipping Panama

Jun 26, 2016

The expanded Panama Canal officially opened with the Chinese container ship Cosco Shipping Panama making the inaugural transit through the new Agua Clara and Cocoli locks.

One millionth vessel transits the canal

Oct 30, 2019

The Hong Kong-registered container ship Ever Fortune became the one millionth vessel to pass through the Panama Canal since its opening in 1914, a milestone in the waterway's century of service.

Drought forces transit restrictions and record-low draft limits

Jul 2023 - 2024

Severe drought linked to El Niño lowered Gatun Lake levels, forcing the Panama Canal Authority to cut daily transits and impose draft restrictions, disrupting global shipping and raising tolls.