• The French broke ground on January 1, 1880.
  • The United States began work on May 4, 1904
  • The S.S. Ancon was the first ship passed through the Canal on September 26, 1913 .
  • The Panama Canal officially opened August 15, 1914. The canal is 51 miles in length from Atlantic to Pacific Oceans.
  • Each lock contains 52 million gallons of water and takes 3 hours to pass though.
  • It take 8 to 10 hours to transit the entire canal.
  • About 40 ships cross daily and between 12 to 15 thousand cross a year.
  • More than 60 million pounds of dynamite was used to excavate and construct the canal.
  •  Nearly 20,000 French and 6,000 American workers died during the completion of the Panama Canal.
  •  In 2008, a Disney cruise ship paid the highest toll to date, $330,000
  • In 1928 American adventurer Richard Halliburton paid .36 cents to swim the length of the canal.
  • Each door to the locks weighs 750 tons.