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The Panama Canal is one of the greatest engineering marvels in history—a saga of ambition, failure, and triumph. It all began in the 1880s when the French, fresh from their success with the Suez Canal, attempted to carve a passage through the dense jungles of Panama. Led by Ferdinand de Lesseps, the effort was doomed by rampant disease, landslides, and financial ruin. Then came the Americans, who—after some geopolitical maneuvering—took over in 1904. Armed with modern engineering, better medical strategies against malaria and yellow fever, and sheer determination, they blasted through mountains and tamed the waters, finally opening the canal in 1914.

It reshaped global trade, but control of this strategic waterway remained a point of tension. The U.S. held onto it until 1999, when it was handed back to Panama. But even in recent years, the canal hasn't left the political spotlight—Donald Trump, ever the dealmaker, criticized its transfer and even floated the idea that America should never have let it go. The Panama Canal remains not just a waterway, but a symbol of power, ambition, and the high stakes of global trade.