The Panama Canal: The World's Greatest Engineering Project

Marvelous drawings and photos! It was truly a magnificent achievement considering the technology of the time. The celebrations of the completion of the canal included building large pavilions with big pipe organs. What is being planned for the 2014 centennial celebration?

For a really good history of the building of the canal, and discussions of some of the medical breakthroughs (i.e., solving the malaria and yellow fever issues by controlling mosquitoes), and the major engineering feats that made the final work possible:

"The Path Between the Seas", by David McCullough. ISBN 0-671-24409-4.

As far as I can tell, there is less interest in celebrating the centennial of the opening of the canal than there is in completing the new sets of locks for the expansion, both of which are scheduled for 2014 or so. The first canal was a US accomplishment; Panamanians can claim the expansion as their own accomplishment.

I was just looking at a book The Mover Of Men and Mountains by RG Le Tourneau . one of the things he made was the thing that towed the ships through the canal .Nothing was to big for him to solve .

Curiosity question: How many people here have actually SEEN or BEEN at the Canal?

I ask because I was there in 1949-53 when my father was stationed at NAS Coco Solo, on the Atlantic side. I remember riding in the USN ship as the "mules" pulled it along within the locks. And, then, the wide open expanse of the Gatun Lake, then heading down the locks on the Pacific side. Culebra pass was almost claustraphobic in nature.

Naturally, since I am currently living in Panama, I have actually SEEN (and transited- several times) the canal. It is most definitely a grand experience, although I do believe the Culebra cut is wider today than what you remember (occasional land slides still occur)...