On August 15, 1914, the Panama Canal opened to traffic for the first time. As early as 1881, construction of a canal was undertaken by a French firm, but there were many obstacles. By the late 1800s, the U.S. was impatient to see it completed. President Theodore Roosevelt helped Panama declare independence from Colombia so that the U.S. could get involved. In 1906, American engineers designed a lock canal; construction began in 1909; it was completed the summer of 1914.
