When after centuries of exploration it became pretty clear there was no Northwest Passage, the mythical water route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific, the world began to consider a possible Plan B – to make one. Most travelers between the east and the west coasts of America who chose to water route went through Panama, a relatively thin strip of dry land they crossed on foot or by rail. The French first took up the idea of making a canal big enough for ships to pass through that route, and ultimately the U.S. carried it out.

On this day, June 7, in 1914, the French crane ship Alexander La Valley made the first passage through the Panama canal.

Today the Panama Canal is a vital passage route for much of the world’s cargo. Nearly 7,000 ships passed through the canal in 1939 alone — that’s more than 50 ships a day. By 2007 that number doubled, as did the size, tonnage and capacity of the ships themselves. Some 70% of goods traveling into and out of the U.S. currently go through Panama, with some ships waiting as long as 30 hours for their turn to pass. All of those numbers are poised to increase in the decades ahead.