Client : Newsweek Magazine
Text : Zuzana Gruberová
Illustration : Denizcan Yuzgul. Arif Ariman
Illustration : Denizcan Yuzgul. Arif Ariman
1513 - Spanish guy, Vasco Nunez de Balboa, discovers the Isthmus of Panama and looks at the Pacific Ocean as the first European ever. Spanish king Charles I. wants to build the passage through Panama, but finds that it is impossible. Ferdinand Magellan, the first man to sail round the world, discovers Tierra del Fuego in the very south of America - if the Panama Canal existed back then, he could have sailed through, saving like 7 000 miles.
1882 - The French are constructing the Panama Canal with many problems: heavy rain, mud, insects, snakes... mostly Indians and blacks are working on the canal. They eventually have to stop the construction, because it is too expensive and up to 20 000 people die because of malaria and yellow fever.
1903 - The Americans take over the Panama project. They start with cleaning everything up. They call the doctor, who kills the mosquitos, so that people stop dying there on malaria and yellow fever.
1964 - Panama dislikes, that the Canal Zone is being controlled by the Americans. The demonstrate by flying the flag of Panama instead of the American one in the zone around the Canal. But Americans call the army and kill some people there. However, in 1979 the agreement is signed between USA and Panama and eventually the Canal goes to Panamian hands.
