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Tim Harford explains the numbers and statistics in the news and in life

Tim Harford explains the numbers and statistics in the news and in life.

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More or Less: Did 35,000 Americans die building the Panama Canal?

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Boat Crossing of the Panama Canal in Panama

09/09/2023 GMT

Did 35,000 Americans die building the Panama Canal?

BBC World Service - More or Less, Did 35,000 Americans die building the Panama Canal?

We fact check a claim made by Donald Trump about the world famous canal

We fact check a claim made by Donald Trump about the construction of the world famous canal.

The construction of the Panama Canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through Central America is considered one of the greatest engineering feats of all time. It also caused enormous human suffering and loss of life. Donald Trump claimed in a recent interview that 35,000 Americans died in the canal’s construction. But is that true? Tim Harford finds out, with the help of Matthew Parker, author of Hell’s Gorge: The Battle to Build the Panama Canal.
 
Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Jon Bithrey
Researcher: Tom Farmer
Editor: Richard Vadon
Sound Engineer: Graham Puddifoot

(Boat Crossing on the Panama Canal in Panama 
Credit: Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)

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