The Panama Canal was built by the U.S. between 1904 and 1914. It serves as a shortcut between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean, dramatically shortening shipping routes from Asia to ports in the ...

A 100-man investigatory team from the U.S. surveys Panama -- then a part of the Republic of Colombia -- for a feasible canal route. They deem a Panama canal too expensive and propose a canal in ...

After completion in 1914, the canal helped turn the United States into an economic juggernaut. Here’s what you need to know. Spain sought a navigable route through Panama in the 1500s.