The Ship That Sailed Between Two Oceans
On August 15, 1914, the steamship Ancon made the first official transit of the Panama Canal, opening a shortcut that redrew world trade.
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The Day Balboa Claimed an Ocean
On September 25, 1513, Vasco Núñez de Balboa became the first European to see the Pacific from the Americas — then waded in and claimed it for Spain.
The Day a Frenchman Signed Away a Canal Zone
On November 18, 1903, Philippe Bunau-Varilla — who was not Panamanian — signed a treaty giving the United States permanent control of the Panama Canal Zone.
The Day America Handed Back the Panama Canal
On December 31, 1999, the United States transferred the Panama Canal to Panama, ending nearly a century of American control of the great waterway.