Short answers, pulled from the story.
The oldest known canals were built over four thousand years ago in Mesopotamia, which is now Iraq. These ancient engineers dug channels to divert water from rivers to arid land to feed fields and create the foundation for civilization.
The 3rd Duke of Bridgewater commissioned the Bridgewater Canal, which opened in 1761. Engineer James Brindley designed the waterway to transport coal from mines to the industrializing city of Manchester.
The Panama Canal expansion project began commercial operation on the 26th of June 2016. This expansion allows for the transit of larger Post-Panamax and New Panamax ships.
The Sinhalese constructed the 87-kilometer Yodha Ela in 459 AD in Sri Lanka. This elongated reservoir functioned as a moving reservoir to manage water pressure and create 66 mini catchments.
The Canal du Midi was completed in 1683 and connected the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. It included a staircase of 8 locks at Béziers, a tunnel, and three major aqueducts.
Venice, Amsterdam, Suzhou, and Hamburg are famous cities with extensive canal networks. Other cities with significant canals include Alkmaar, Delft, Utrecht, Brugge, Gent, Saint Petersburg, Fort Lauderdale, Cape Coral, and the Gold Coast.