On December 1, 1990, British and French workers finally met in the middle of the English Channel, shaking hands 40 meters underground after years of digging from both sides. This breakthrough completed the 50km Channel Tunnel (or "Chunnel"), the longest undersea tunnel in the world at the time, linking the UK to mainland Europe for the first time since the Ice Age. It wasn't just an engineering marvel—it shrunk travel times, boosted trade, and ended Britain's island isolation (though it did spark endless debates about sovereignty and rabbits). Trains now zip through in 35 minutes, carrying millions annually. 
