Robert Fulton was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the world's first commercially successful steamboat, the North River Steamboat.
31 Facts About Robert Fulton
2.
In 1800, Fulton had been commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte, leader of France, to attempt to design a submarine; he then produced Nautilus, the first practical submarine in history.
3.
Robert Fulton is credited with inventing some of the world's earliest naval torpedoes for use by the Royal Navy.
4.
At the age of 23, Robert Fulton traveled to Europe, where he would live for the next twenty years.
5.
Robert Fulton went to England in 1786, carrying several letters of introduction to Americans abroad from prominent individuals he had met in Philadelphia.
6.
Robert Fulton had already corresponded with artist Benjamin West; their fathers had been close friends.
7.
Robert Fulton gained many commissions painting portraits and landscapes, which allowed him to support himself.
8.
Robert Fulton became caught up in the enthusiasm of the "Canal Mania".
9.
Robert Fulton obtained a patent for this idea in 1794, and began working on ideas for the steam power of boats.
10.
Robert Fulton published a pamphlet about canals and patented a dredging machine and several other inventions.
11.
William Symington had successfully tried steamboats in 1788, and it seems probable that Robert Fulton was aware of these developments.
12.
In Britain, Robert Fulton met the Duke of Bridgewater, Francis Egerton, whose canal, the first to be constructed in the country, was being used for trials of a steam tug.
13.
Robert Fulton became very enthusiastic about the canals, and wrote a 1796 treatise on canal construction, suggesting improvements to locks and other features.
14.
In 1797, Robert Fulton went to Paris, where he was well known as an inventor.
15.
Robert Fulton studied French and German, along with mathematics and chemistry.
16.
Robert Fulton exhibited the first panorama painting to be shown in Paris, Pierre Prevost's Vue de Paris depuis les Tuileries, on what is still called Rue des Panoramas today.
17.
Robert Fulton asked the government to subsidize its construction, but he was turned down twice.
18.
Robert Fulton had a scientifically curious mind, and the two men decided to collaborate on building a steamboat and to try operating it on the Seine.
19.
Robert Fulton experimented with the water resistance of various hull shapes, made drawings and models, and had a steamboat constructed.
20.
In 1804, Robert Fulton switched allegiance and moved to Britain, where he was commissioned by Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger to build a range of weapons for use by the Royal Navy during Napoleon's invasion scares.
21.
From 1811 until his death, Robert Fulton was a member of the Erie Canal Commission, appointed by the Governor of New York.
22.
Robert Fulton was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1814.
23.
Robert Fulton died in 1815 in New York City from tuberculosis.
24.
Robert Fulton had been walking home on the frozen Hudson River when one of his friends, Thomas Addis Emmet, fell through the ice.
25.
In rescuing his friend, Robert Fulton got soaked with icy water.
26.
Robert Fulton was diagnosed with consumption and died at 49 years old.
27.
Robert Fulton is buried in the Trinity Church Cemetery for Trinity Church at Wall Street in New York City, near other notable Americans such as former US Secretaries of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton and Albert Gallatin.
28.
Robert Fulton's descendants include Cory Lidle, a former Major League Baseball pitcher.
29.
Robert Fulton was honored for his development of steamship technology in New York City's Hudson-Robert Fulton Celebration of the Centennial in 1909.
30.
In 2006, Robert Fulton was inducted into the "National Inventors Hall of Fame" in Alexandria, Virginia.
31.
Alice Faye and Fred MacMurray played wharf friends who help Robert Fulton overcome problems to realize his dream.