As centuries passed, humanity reached a point where it began to unravel the secrets of our Universe. Through science and technology, man began to harness physical powers of an unprecedented magnitude. At long last, the Corinth Canal appeared within the grasp of man's potential.

Yet the actualization of the dream still had a number of obstacles to overcome. In the eighteenth century, the Hellenic State having won independence (in 1830) after nearly four hundred years of Ottoman rule, was missing in material resources and financial strength to undertake such a costly task. Capodistrias, contemporary Governor of State, commissioned a special study on the canal project. The conclusions of that study made Capodistrias abandon further consideration. Subsequent studies and proposals submitted to the government were likewise evaluated as unrealistic and unrealizable and met with the same fate.

However, a final push of sufficient threshold energy came to rescue: Another mammoth-scale canal project, the Suez Canal opened its gates to naval traffic in 1869. In view of that event, in November 1869 the Zaimis Administration enacted a law entitled "Opening of the Isthmos of Corinth". Following that legislation, the government proceeded to assign the project to E. Piat and M. Chollet, French contractors.

Nevertheless, the pace of events again hearkened to another tune. The French contract remained only an agreement on paper. Twelve years later, in 1881, another contractor, a Hungarian general by the name of Stefan Tyrr and aide de camp to Victor Emmanuel established "The International Company of the Canal of Corinth" and took over the project. Construction of the canal -- a work which was destined to alter all existing sea routes in Greece, the Adriatic, Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea -- began on April 23, 1882. King George I of Greece was present at the official ground breaking.

It is quite surprising (and a historic irony) that modern engineering plans followed almost to the point the plans Nero himself has used long ago. In other words, the 6300 meters of canal length which Nero had mapped out still proved to be the most feasible economic alternative.

The Corinth Canal was completed in 1893. By then, the initial contractor had run dry of funds and was replaced by a Greek Company under Andreas Singros.

Naval traffic in the Corinth Canal was inaugurated in a brilliant ceremony held on July 25th, 1893. It was indeed a vindication of a dream first conceived some 2495 years ago.

As the tab of the Isthmus and the Canal of Corinth comes to an end, modern man ought to take heed not to fall prey to a common illusion, namely that the only thing the future has in store for us is our technology and its power. The future of man kind will also be shaped, for better or worse, by our time-resistant fantasies and daydreams. The fascinating tale of the Corinth Canal shows that, even though sentiment and desire of themselves were not sufficient to make a vision come alive, they nonetheless sustained it long enough until it could be made to take place.