Robert Fulton

Biography :

Robert Fulton is an American inventor who built and operated the world's first commercially successful steamboat in 1807. This steamboat was called the Clermont. Before turning his talents to the steamboat, Fulton had successfully built and operated a submarine in France. It was called the Nautilus.

Considering his childhood, he displayed considerable artistic talent and inventiveness. But his early education was limited. He moved to Philadelphia at the age of 17, and he worked as a painter. In 1786, Fulton moved to London due to ill health. After, he gave his interest in scientific and engineering developments, especially in the application of steam engines.

In 1802, Fulton contracted with Robert Livingston to construct a steamboat for use on the Hudson River. After building prototypes in Europe over the next four years, he returned to New York in 1806 and began building a steamboat on the East River. Fulton's first steamboat traveled from New York City to Albany on the Hudson River with a 150-mile trip on 17th August 1807, and he earned the title of the "father of steam navigation."