How Did The Panama Canal Come To Be?

Originally, the US government wanted to buy land in the Isthmus of Panama to build a canal joining the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans, but the Columbian government rejected the American offer.

So on November 3rd, 1903 (coincidentally, Election Day in the USA, and a day when the newspapers would be full of more local news) a, er, "Spontaneous Uprising" occurred.

A Dr Manuel Amador Guerrero, together with a band of around 40 "freedom fighters" marched under the new Panamanian flag, conveniently provided by the American government.

The US government also provided those "freedom fighters" with enough cash to make their march worth while … and the general in charge of the garrison in Panama City also found himself in receipt of a goodly sum American cash in exchange for conceding defeat.

Elsewhere, off the coast of Columbia, American warships made their presence known, and just for good measure, US marines landed to quell locals who were surprised to discover that they, too, were "spontaneously uprising".

And, strangely enough, a treaty between the newly-formed state of Panama and the USA gave America a permanent lease on just enough land (plus a little bit more in future, if needed) to build a canal that joined the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.