First commercial steam-powered boat service
AUG 17, 2015
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.031030
On this day in 1807 the world’s first commercial steam-powered boat service began when Robert Fulton’s North River Steamboat left New York City for Albany, the state capital, 150 miles upstream on the Hudson River. The trip, which included a 20-hour stop-over, took 32 hours of travel time. Despite skepticism that a steamboat was even feasible, Fulton’s service proved profitable. The photograph shows a replica of the boat that was built in 1909.
Date in History: 17 August 1807
© 2015. American Institute of Physics