#e <t>construction<d>1163<e>1200(10)<n>Notre Dame<c>Paris<info>The cathedral of Paris, situated on the Ile de la Cité and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, was begun in 1163. On completion of the choir in 1183, work was begun on the nave and completed about 1200.
#e <t>explosion<d>1687 Sep 16<n>Parthenon destoyed<c>Athens<info>The Parthenon, the largest building on the Athenian Acropolis, was used by the Turks as a powder magazine. In 1687, a direct hit by Venetian artillery caused the powder in the Parthenon to explode, scattering debris across the Acropolis. The remaining sculpture rapidly began to disappear. A few pieces were taken to France by the duc de Choiseul, but most of it was sent to Britain in 1802-03 by the 7th earl of Elgin.<ref>Grolier
// 19th century
#p <nat>French<o>diplomat<o>entrepreneur<n>Ferdinand de Lesseps<b>1805 Nov 19<d>1894 Dec 7<info>Ferdinand Marie de Lesseps was responsible for building the Suez Canal. Beginning in 1825 he served as a diplomat in the overseas service of the French government in various cities, including Alexandria, Cairo, and Rome, but a diplomatic failure forced his retirement in 1849. In 1854 his friendship with Muhammad Saïd, made while in the diplomatic service, enabled him to secure an act of concession authorising him to bridge the Isthmus of Suez with a canal. An international Suez Canal Company was incorporated in 1858 to carry out a scheme formulated by de Lesseps in conjunction with two prominent engineering surveyors. France underwrote more than half the cost of construction, largely due to the enthusiasm of de Lesseps, who was a superb administrator, politician, and public relations man. Following completion of the canal in 1869, de Lesseps was acclaimed a national hero in France. For his role in the later transfer of the canal to British control, however, he suffered considerable temporary loss of popularity in France. In 1879, at age 74, de Lesseps began an attempt to carry out the construction of a canal across the Isthmus of Panama. A combination of his age and temperament and the extreme physical difficulties encountered led to the collapse of the undertaking and the liquidation of the company formed for the project. A political and financial scandal erupted, centering on de Lesseps and his son Charles.<ref>Grolier
#e <t>construction<d>1859<e>1869<n>Suez Canal<c>Suez<au>de Lesseps<info>In 1854 Ferdinand de Lesseps made a friendship with Muhammad Saïd while in the diplomatic service. This friendship enabled him to secure an act of concession authorising him to bridge the Isthmus of Suez with a canal from Port Saïd on the Mediterranean Sea to Suez on the Red Sea. The accession to the Egyptian throne of his friend Muhammad Saïd made it possible for him to bring forward the great scheme that he had long cherished. An international Suez Canal Company was incorporated in 1858 to carry out the plan.<ref>Grolier
#e <t>construction<d>1879<n>attempt at a Panama canal<c>Panama<au>de Lesseps<info>In 1879, de Lesseps began an attempt to carry out the construction of a canal across the Isthmus of Panama. A combination of his age and temperament and the extreme physical difficulties encountered led to the collapse of the undertaking and the liquidation of the company formed for the project. A political and financial scandal erupted, centering on de Lesseps and his son Charles.<ref>Grolier
#e <t>construction<d>1889<n>Eiffel Tower<c>Paris<info>The Eiffel Tower, an immense tower of exposed latticework supports made of iron, was erected for the Paris Exposition of 1889. It was named after its builder, the French structural engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, who was assisted in the design by the engineers Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier and the architect Stephen Sauvestre.<ref>Grolier
// 20th century
#e <t>construction<d>1930<e>1931<n>Empire State Building<c>New York City<info>
The Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world until 1971, when the first tower of the World Trade Center in New York City was completed. Originally 381 m in height, the Empire State Building was increased to 449 m by the addition of television antennas in 1950. The building was opened during the Depression, and much of its 200,485 sq m of rentable space remained vacant for some time; as a result, the owners depended on sightseers, more than 4 million of whom paid to visit the observation decks by April 1940, to pay the building's taxes.<ref>Grolier
#e <t>construction<d>1914<n>Panama Canal<c>Panama<info>The Panama canal opened to commercial traffic in 1914. Built and leased by the U.S., it returns to Panamanian sovereignty in 2000.
#e <t>collapse<n>Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapses<d>1940 Nov 7<c>Tacoma Narrows
#e <t>construction<n>Grand Coulee Dam<c>Grand Coulee Dam<d>1941 Mar 22<info>The Grand Coulee Dam became operational on March 22, 1941.
#e <t>construction<d>1987 Dec<e>1991 Jun<n>"Chunnel"<c>English Channel<info>The Channel Tunnel is a complex of three tunnels under the English Channel, connecting Calais, France, with Folkestone, England. It is the first submarine link ever established between Great Britain and the European Continent. Previous tunnels were begun in 1883 and 1974, but were not completed. In 1986 the French and British governments awarded contracts for the present rail tunnel to an Anglo-French consortium. Work began in December 1987, and the actual digging of the tunnels was finished in June 1991. The two sides of the Channel tunnel met on December 1, 1990. The Channel Tunnel was finally inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II and President Mitterrand in May 1994. The construction delays and the total cost - $16 billion, more than twice the original estimate - nearly bankrupted Eurotunnel. It is 50 km long, 38 km of which is under water.
