By Matthew Fortuna
Fun Facts About the Panama Canal
First opened in 1914, the Panama Canal is considered one of the great engineering endeavors of the modern age. Used to shorten shipping routes from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, the canal can accommodate ships from small private boats to large commercial vehicles.
History
The construction of a canal across the Isthmus of Panama was first suggested by a world leader in 1534 by Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor who needed a trading route for ships traveling from Spain to the East.
Busiest Day
The most ships to ever cross the Panama Canal on a single day was 65 on February 29, 1968.
New York to San Franciso
The old route from New York to San Francisco was around South America's Cape Horn. The route through the Panama Canal saved 7,827 miles for ships making that trek.
Length
The Panama Canal is 22.5 miles wide from the Atlantic entrance on the east and the Pacific entrance on the west.
Supplies
The Panama Canal was constructed from over 4.5 million yards of concrete and 60,000,000 pounds of dynamite.
Swimming the Canal
Due to the canal's toll rates, Richard Haliburton paid 36 cents to cross the canal when his 150-pound body swam the 22.5 miles on August 23, 1928.
Tolls
With a $500 toll on a 50-foot boat, the cruise ship Rhapsody of the Sea paid a record $153,662.66 to transit the canal in 1997.
About the Author:
Matthew Fortuna is a full-time freelance writer with a journalism degree from Wayne State University, living in the Detroit metropolitan area. He has written about a wide range of topics across varying publications, including Demand Studios, wiseGEEK.com and Suite101.com, among others. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Wayne State University.
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