1859 : GROUND BROKEN FOR SUEZ CANAL:
At Port Said, Egypt, ground is broken for the Suez Canal, an
artificial waterway intended to stretch 101 miles across the isthmus
of Suez and connect the Mediterranean and the Red seas. Ferdinand de
Lesseps, the French diplomat who organized the colossal undertaking,
delivered the pickax blow that inaugurated construction.
Artificial canals have been built on the Suez region, which connects
the continents of Asia and Africa, since ancient times. Under the
Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt, a channel connected the Bitter Lakes to the
Red Sea, and a canal reached northward from Lake Timsah as far as the
Nile River. These canals fell into disrepair or were intentionally
destroyed for military reasons. As early as the 15th century,
Europeans speculated about building a canal across the Suez, which
would allow traders to sail from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean
via the Red Sea, rather than having to sail the great distance around
Africa's Cape of Good Hope.
The first serious survey of the isthmus occurred during the French
occupation of Egypt at the end of the 18th century, and General
Napoleon Bonaparte personally inspected the remains of an ancient
canal. France made further studies for a canal, and in 1854 Ferdinand
de Lesseps, the former French consul to Cairo, secured an agreement
with the Ottoman governor of Egypt to build a canal. An international
team of engineers drew up a construction plan, and in 1856 the Suez
Canal Company was formed and granted the right to operate the canal
for 99 years after completion of the work.
Construction began in April 1859, and at first digging was done by
hand with picks and shovels wielded by forced laborers. Later,
European workers with dredgers and steam shovels arrived. Labor
disputes and a cholera epidemic slowed construction, and the Suez
Canal was not completed until 1869--four years behind schedule. On
November 17, 1869, the Suez Canal was officially inaugurated in an
elaborate ceremony attended by French Empress Eugenie, wife of
Napoleon III. Ferdinand de Lesseps would later attempt,
unsuccessfully, to build a canal across the Isthmus of Panama. He died
in 1894.
When it opened, the Suez Canal was only 25 feet deep, 72 feet wide at
the bottom, and 200 to 300 feet wide at the surface. Consequently,
fewer than 500 ships navigated it in its first full year of operation.
Major improvements began in 1876, however, and the canal soon grew
into the one of the world's most heavily traveled shipping lanes. In
1875, Great Britain became the largest shareholder in the Suez Canal
Company when it bought up the stock of the new Ottoman governor of
Egypt. Seven years later, in 1882, Britain invaded Egypt, beginning a
long occupation of the country. The Anglo-Egyptian treaty of 1936 made
Egypt virtually independent, but Britain reserved rights for the
protection of the canal.
After World War II, Egypt pressed for evacuation of British troops
from the Suez Canal Zone, and in July 1956 Egyptian President Gamal
Abdel Nasser nationalized the canal, hoping to charge tolls that would
pay for construction of a massive dam on the Nile River. In response,
Israel invaded in late October, and British and French troops landed
in early November, occupying the canal zone. Under pressure from the
United Nations, Britain and France withdrew in December, and Israeli
forces departed in March 1957. That month, Egypt took control of the
canal and reopened it to commercial shipping.
Ten years later, Egypt shut down the canal again following the Six Day
War and Israel's occupation of the Sinai peninsula. For the next eight
years, the Suez Canal, which separates the Sinai from the rest of
Egypt, existed as the front line between the Egyptian and Israeli
armies. In 1975, Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat reopened the Suez
Canal as a gesture of peace after talks with Israel. Today, an average
of 50 ships navigate the canal daily, carrying more than 300 million
tons of goods a year.
history.com/tdih.do
1990 : Space telescope in orbit
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4949
#######################################
artificial waterway intended to stretch 101 miles across the isthmus
of Suez and connect the Mediterranean and the Red seas. Ferdinand de
Lesseps, the French diplomat who organized the colossal undertaking,
delivered the pickax blow that inaugurated construction.
Artificial canals have been built on the Suez region, which connects
the continents of Asia and Africa, since ancient times. Under the
Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt, a channel connected the Bitter Lakes to the
Red Sea, and a canal reached northward from Lake Timsah as far as the
Nile River. These canals fell into disrepair or were intentionally
destroyed for military reasons. As early as the 15th century,
Europeans speculated about building a canal across the Suez, which
would allow traders to sail from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean
via the Red Sea, rather than having to sail the great distance around
Africa's Cape of Good Hope.
The first serious survey of the isthmus occurred during the French
occupation of Egypt at the end of the 18th century, and General
Napoleon Bonaparte personally inspected the remains of an ancient
canal. France made further studies for a canal, and in 1854 Ferdinand
de Lesseps, the former French consul to Cairo, secured an agreement
with the Ottoman governor of Egypt to build a canal. An international
team of engineers drew up a construction plan, and in 1856 the Suez
Canal Company was formed and granted the right to operate the canal
for 99 years after completion of the work.
Construction began in April 1859, and at first digging was done by
hand with picks and shovels wielded by forced laborers. Later,
European workers with dredgers and steam shovels arrived. Labor
disputes and a cholera epidemic slowed construction, and the Suez
Canal was not completed until 1869--four years behind schedule. On
November 17, 1869, the Suez Canal was officially inaugurated in an
elaborate ceremony attended by French Empress Eugenie, wife of
Napoleon III. Ferdinand de Lesseps would later attempt,
unsuccessfully, to build a canal across the Isthmus of Panama. He died
in 1894.
When it opened, the Suez Canal was only 25 feet deep, 72 feet wide at
the bottom, and 200 to 300 feet wide at the surface. Consequently,
fewer than 500 ships navigated it in its first full year of operation.
Major improvements began in 1876, however, and the canal soon grew
into the one of the world's most heavily traveled shipping lanes. In
1875, Great Britain became the largest shareholder in the Suez Canal
Company when it bought up the stock of the new Ottoman governor of
Egypt. Seven years later, in 1882, Britain invaded Egypt, beginning a
long occupation of the country. The Anglo-Egyptian treaty of 1936 made
Egypt virtually independent, but Britain reserved rights for the
protection of the canal.
After World War II, Egypt pressed for evacuation of British troops
from the Suez Canal Zone, and in July 1956 Egyptian President Gamal
Abdel Nasser nationalized the canal, hoping to charge tolls that would
pay for construction of a massive dam on the Nile River. In response,
Israel invaded in late October, and British and French troops landed
in early November, occupying the canal zone. Under pressure from the
United Nations, Britain and France withdrew in December, and Israeli
forces departed in March 1957. That month, Egypt took control of the
canal and reopened it to commercial shipping.
Ten years later, Egypt shut down the canal again following the Six Day
War and Israel's occupation of the Sinai peninsula. For the next eight
years, the Suez Canal, which separates the Sinai from the rest of
Egypt, existed as the front line between the Egyptian and Israeli
armies. In 1975, Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat reopened the Suez
Canal as a gesture of peace after talks with Israel. Today, an average
of 50 ships navigate the canal daily, carrying more than 300 million
tons of goods a year.
history.com/tdih.do
1990 : Space telescope in orbit
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4949
#######################################
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