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When did construction of the Panama Canal begin and when did it open?
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Panama Canal
A passenger cruise ship travels through the Panama Canal.
Construction of the Panama Canal occurred in two distinct phases. An initial attempt to build the canal was started by a French company in 1881, but that project failed by 1889.1
Following the collapse of the French effort, the United States took over the project. Work under U.S. supervision began in 1904. The canal was subsequently completed and opened in 1914.123