American Experience

Connecting the Atlantic and Pacific

Clip: Season 23 | 1m 56s

On December 10, 1913, after a final push of excavation, the unbroken waterway finally connected the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. The project had taken ten years and more than $350 million. To that date, it was the largest single federal expenditure in history. More than 5,000 workers lost their lives, but the successful completion defined the US as a superpower of the 20th century.

Aired: 01/24/11

Rating: NR

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