First time: Nicaragua was once almost a U.S. state

In 1852 a mercenary from Tennessee, William Walker, invaded Nicaragua and declared himself president. The history is hard to follow, but apparently his plan was to annex the territory in order to expand the number of slave states in the U.S., a practice known as filibustering. It happened in Texas, sort of.

Before the Panama Canal, it was possible to ship goods through Nicaragua--along the San Juan River, across Lake Nicaragua, and then overland to the Pacific. Thus, Nica was a fairly important trade route.  Then along came the Gold Rush. Then along came Cornelius Vanderbilt. He saw dollar signs in getting those gold miners and their supplies to California. Vanderbilt financed rebels to overthrow William Walker. President Buchanan supported him. Walker battled the rebels, lost, and eventually surrendered.  He was executed in Honduras. There is a bad and really bloody film about him, available on Netflix and starring Ed Harris.