November 17, 1869 – The Suez Canal opened in Egypt. This linked the Mediterranean and Red Seas.
In 1858, Ferdinand de Lesseps formed the Suez Canal Company to build the canal. Construction of the canal lasted from 1859 to 1869. The canal officially opened on 17 November 1869. It offers vessels a direct route between the North Atlantic and northern Indian oceans via the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, avoiding the South Atlantic and southern Indian oceans and reducing the journey distance from the Arabian Sea to London by approximately 8,900 kilometers (5,500 mi), or 10 days at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) to 8 days at 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph).[1] The canal extends from the northern terminus of Port Said to the southern terminus of Port Tewfik in the city of Suez. In 2021, more than 20,600 vessels traversed the canal (an average of 56 per day).