The Thames Tunnel was completed in 1843 and connects the two banks of the River Thames at Rotherhithe and Wapping in London. The 20-year project was masterminded by Marc Isambard Brunel (1769-1849) and was both the first tunnel to be built under a major body of water and the first to use a tunnel shield during its construction.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original content at https://www.worldhistory.org/Thames_Tunnel/.