Prior to the United States' Construction of the Panama Canal

Prior to the United States' construction of the Panama Canal,

A) the French had tried but failed to build a canal at the same site.
B) no country had attempted to build a canal connecting the Atlantic with the Pacific.
C) the Germans had failed to build a canal at the same site.
D) the British had failed to build a canal across Costa Rica.
E) the United States had failed to build a canal across Nicaragua.