You'll Really Dig "The Big Ditch" - Panama Canal

In the 1880's, the French proposed a 50 mile long canal that would be built across the Isthmus of Panama in a northwest to southwest direction connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.  This would save ships from sailing 8,000 miles around the Horn of South America.  The French worked for ten years on the canal.  However, the seemingly impossible terrain, construction costs, natural elements, and loss of thousands of lives resulted in the failed attempt to build "The Big Ditch".  So, how did the Panama Canal become a reality?

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