<P> France began work on the canal in 1881 , but stopped due to engineering problems and a high worker mortality rate . The United States took over the project in 1904 and opened the canal on August 15 , 1914 . One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken , the Panama Canal shortcut greatly reduced the time for ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans , enabling them to avoid the lengthy , hazardous Cape Horn route around the southernmost tip of South America via the Drake Passage or Strait of Magellan . </P>
<P> France began work on the canal in 1881 , but stopped due to engineering problems and a high worker mortality rate . The United States took over the project in 1904 and opened the canal on August 15 , 1914 . One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken , the Panama Canal shortcut greatly reduced the time for ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans , enabling them to avoid the lengthy , hazardous Cape Horn route around the southernmost tip of South America via the Drake Passage or Strait of Magellan . </P>
when did the panama canal start being built
when did the panama canal start being built
1881
1881