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The Channel Tunnel breakthrough

The first man to cross by land from Britain to France in 8,000 years reveals what it was like. In 1990, Graham Fagg made the breakthrough.

Thirty years on from the opening of the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France, we look at the moment the two halves of the tunnel were connected in 1990.

Graham Fagg was the man who made the breakthrough, and the first person to cross by land between the two countries in 8,000 years.

In 2010, he told Lucy Williamson about the festivities of that day.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

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(Photo: The moment of breakthrough Graham Fagg greets Frenchman Philippe Cozette. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

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9 minutes

Last on

Sat 4 May 2024 02:50GMT

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