Robert Fulton
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| Audience/Grade: | College Freshman - Continuing Education |
| Discipline(s): |
History of Science and Technology Mechanical Engineering |
| Learning Resource Type: | Reference - Article/Document |
| Media Type: | WWW |
| Author(s): |
Jane Haven
Organization: University of Virginia Department: American Studies |
| Description: | "Often credited with inventing the steamboat, Robert Fulton was actually the man who put the design into practice. As a young man, Fulton dreamed of becoming a painter and went to Paris to study. His commissions were few, and he turned to engineering and inventions. In Paris, Fulton designed an experimental submarine, which caught the eye of Robert Livingston, then the wealthy American ambassador to France. Livingston convinced Fulton to return to the United States and concentrate on steamboat design. Fulton's first boat, the Clermont, was tested on the Hudson River. The former painter had shipped a small steam engine from England and constructed a hull similar to that of fast ocean- going ships. In the hull, he placed the engine, and on each side, a primitive paddle wheel. At the test in 1807, the Clermont initially failed; however, after a few adjustments to the engine, the boat carried on its way to Albany, arriving thirty-two hours later. It had moved against the Hudson current at an average of five miles an hour. " |
| Rating: |
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| Related Resources | |
| Keywords: | steam engine, steamboat, Robert Fulton |
| Usage Tip | |
| Use of Resource: | History of technology and society maintained by the American Studies Department at the University of Virginia on the Tocqeville's America website. |
| Difficulty: | Very Easy |
| Interactivity Level: | Very Low |
| Version Info | |
| Publication Date: | 2008 |
| Platform/Format: | WWW |
| Cost: | Free |
| Download URL: | http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/DETOC/transport/fulton.html |
| Metadata: | IEEE LOM Record |
| Collection: |
NEEDS
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