In a ceremony in 1994, which Queen Elizabeth II of England and French President Francois Mitterrand presided, a trail tunnel that connected Britain to the European mainland was formally opened under the English Channel. 


This Day in History

History has it that this was "the first time since Ice Age." Also known as the "Chunnel," the Channel Tunnel connects Folkestone, England to Coquelles, France, with a 31-mile distance.

More so, the Chunnel cut time of travel between France and England, to a rapid 35-minute trip, ultimately between Paris and London to two hours and 30 minutes.

As the longest undersea tunnel, the Chunnel Tunnel "runs underwater for 23 miles," with a 150-feet average depth underneath the seabed.

Every day, roughly 6,000 cars, 3,500 trucks, and 30,000 people travel through the tunnel on a shuttle, freight trains, and passenger.

According to History, "Millions of tons of the earth were even moved" to construct two rail tunnels-one for the southbound, and another for the northbound traffic, and a service tunnel.

This was not an easy construction for the tunnels. Fifteen thousand people were employed at the construction's peak, and out of these thousands of people, there were ten killed while the building was ongoing.

Moreover, the Channel Tunnel's $16 cost was approximately double the original or initial estimate, and completion took place one ear behind the supposed schedule,

A year into service, the Eurotunnel declared a big loss-one of the biggest in the corporate history of the UK at that time.  

This was a tactic, according to past reports, which banks had agreed to exchange billions of pounds worth of loans for shares saved Chunnel from going underneath, and for the first time, in 1999, it showed its first revenue. 


More Events on this Date in the Past Years

Here are some of the unforgettable happenings that took place in the past years, decades, and even centuries:


1527 

Troops in Germany started sacking Rome, bringing about the Renaissance's end.


1682

King Louis XIV transfers his court to France.

1840

It was in this year when the Penny Black became the first adhesive postage stamp of the world, "used in a public postal system." Although it was first issued in the UK on May 1, 1840, its validity was used until May 6 in the same year. The said stamp featured Queen Victoria's profile.

1945

This was the year when Germany World War II Europe ended. Here, Prime Minister Churchill and President Truman made public radio broadcasts and spoke to the people the day after, announcing the VE day for May 8. The said war in Europe affected more than eight million lives there.


1946 

On this day in 1946, the New York Yankees became the first team in major league baseball to travel through the plane. 


1954

Britain's Roger Bannister became the first athlete to run one mile in only less than four minutes.


1976

May 6, 1976, marked a powerful earthquake that measured "6.5 on the Richter scale." It struck in Maiano the northeast part of Italy, leaving roughly 60 people dead and countless more buried underneath the rubble.


2004

On this date in 2004, sitcom, "Friends" aired its final episode on television. Over 52 million viewers watched this program. 


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