FUN WITH MAPS – ISSUE 2022-037 DAILY FEATURE:

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (February 23, 2022) – In Issue 2022-037 of Steve Kovacs Fun with Maps, we learn about connecting waterways through engineering.

LINKING THE ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC OCEANS

A French construction team began what is now the Panama Canal in 1880, but the finances, disease, and local weather conditions soon combined to halt the project.

On this day in 1904, the US took over the Panama Canal project and ownership of the Panama Canal Zone for the price of $10 million with a $250,000 annuity to the newly recognized Republic of Panama. The US returned control of the area to Panama on December 31, 1999.

The American Society of Civil Engineers recognized the project as one of the 7 Wonders of the Modern World, and its value for the ability to increase world trade is inestimable.  In 2010, the Canal celebrated its 1 millionth passing ship.

Here is Cram’s map of the Panama Canal from the year it opened, 1914.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Antique Maps & Fun Facts here on Loveland Beacon.