The Panama Canal, one of the world's most amazing feats of engineering, connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans via the isthmus of Panama. When the canal was completed in 1914, it revolutionized world shipping. Ships could now pass from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean without having to sail all the way around the southern tip of South America. To this day, more than 800,000 ships have passed through the Panama Canal.

The construction of the Panama Canal was one of the most difficult feats of engineering ever accomplished. It involved laborers actually digging the canal through 48 miles of rainforests and jungles. Over 27,000 workers were thought to have died during the 34-year project, mostly of yellow fever, malaria, and landslides.