May 6, 1994: The Channel Tunnel Opens

May 6, 1994: The Channel Tunnel opens between Folkestone, Kent, England and Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais, France. It runs 31 miles. Queen Elizabeth II and President François Mitterand attend the ceremony.

Plans to build a cross-Channel tunnel were proposed as early as 1802, but British political and media criticism motivated by fears of compromising national security had disrupted attempts to build one. The eventual successful project, organized by the Eurotunnel company, began construction in 1988. Estimated to cost £5.5 billion in 1985, it was, at the time, the most expensive construction project ever proposed. The cost finally amounted to £9 billion.

It is a 31.35-mile railway tunnel beneath the Strait of Dover. It is the only fixed link between the island of Great Britain and the European mainland. At its lowest point, it is 246 feet below the sea bed, and 377 feet below sea level. At 23.5 miles, it has the longest underwater section of any tunnel in the world, and is the 3rd-longest railway tunnel in the world. The speed limit for trains through the tunnel is 160 kilometers (or 99 miles) per hour.

The tunnel carries high-speed Eurostar passenger trains, LeShuttle services for road vehicles, and freight trains. It connects end-to-end with high-speed railway lines: The LGV Nord in France and High Speed 1 in England. The cars' toll on the Eurotunnel (or "Chunnel") today? It ain’t cheap: £60, or a little over $75.

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May 6, 1994 was a Friday. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox, 3-1 at Yankee Stadium. Jimmy Key went the distance for the win, outpitching Aaron Sele. Don Mattingly went 2-for-3 with a walk. Against his former team, Wade Boggs had an unusual 0-for-4 day.

* The New York Mets lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, 3-2 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Baltimore Orioles, 4-2 at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Carlos Baerga doubled home the winning runs in the top of the 10th inning. Cal Ripken went 0-for-4.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Montreal Expos, 5-0 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Greg Maddux pitched a 4-hit shutout.

* The Florida Marlins beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 9-5 at Joe Robbie Stadium (now Hard Rock Stadium) in Miami Gardens, Florida.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-1 at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) in Toronto.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 10-1 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Houston Astros, 4-3 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Seattle Mariners, 9-4 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Ken Griffey Jr. hit a home run.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox, 6-5 at the new Comiskey Park (now Rate Field) in Chicago.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Minnesota Twins, 7-0 at The Ballpark (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. Rick Helling allowed 9 hits, but kept the shutout.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Colorado Rockies, 8-0 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. Andy Benes pitched a 4-hit shutout. Phil Plantier hit 2 home runs. Tony Gwynn went 3-for-4 with a walk.

* The California Angels beat the Oakland Athletics, 11-6 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). Rickey Henderson went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* And the San Francisco Giants beat their arch-rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-1 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Barry Bonds did not play.

There were 2 games played in the NBA Playoffs. The New York Knicks beat their neighbors, the New Jersey Nets, 102-92 at the Brendan Byrne Arena at the Meadowlands. Patrick Ewing scored 36 points. (Regardless of whether the Nets have played in Uniondale, Piscataway, East Rutherford, Newark or Brooklyn, this is one rivalry that only goes one way.) And the Houston Rockets beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 92-89 at the Portland Memorial Coliseum.

There were 2 games played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The San Jose Sharks beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-2 at the San Jose Arena (now the SAP Center). And the Dallas Stars beat the Vancouver Canucks, 4-3 at the Pacific Coliseum.