Postage stamps usually commemorate historic events. But this postage stamp did the opposite. It changed world history since it was one of the main reasons Panama was eventually selected to complete a new canal instead of neighbouring Nicaragua.
Once the United States had decided to complete a canal project started years earlier in Panama by investors from France, an engineer on the failed French project – Philippe Buanu-Varilla – lobbied the U.S. Congress to complete the canal in Panama instead of starting an entirely new one in Nicaragua, as was then regarded the preferred option.
How did he do this?
He mailed each member of the U.S. Senate a Nicaraguan 10 Centavos stamp released in 1900 that depicted the building of that country’s railroad industry. In the background on the stamp was the country’s national symbol, Mt. Momotombo. With smoke spewing from the top, the image suggested that there was a real risk that it could erupt at any time. The destruction of a city on the nearby French island of Martinique by a volcano in 1902 only made his case that much stronger.
This way, he was able to convince the American government to stick with Panama instead of starting fresh with an entirely new canal in Nicaragua. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Meet & Learn from a Spectrum of International Experts & Opinion Leaders
The 2025 INMR WORLD CONGRESS, which will take place in Panama City in mid-October 2025 will be a unique skills enrichment and networking event. A total of over 120 experts selected from across the globe will deliver more than 150 technical lectures covering key aspects of design, testing, application and inspection of key components for overhead lines, underground power cables and substations.
Plan to attend and receive an invitation to a VIP tour of the Miraflores Locks*.
To see the preliminary program of speakers and technical lectures, please download the partial Conference Program.
DOWNLOAD PRELIMINARY CONFERENCE PROGRAM
or visit:
www.inmrworldcongress.com
