Aug 17, 1807. Robert Fulton began the first American steamboattrip between Albany and New York, NY, on a boat later called the Clermont. After years of promoting submarine warfare, Fulton engaged in a partnership with Robert R. Livingston, the US minister to France, allowing Fulton to design and construct a steamboat. His first success came in August 1803 when he launched a steam-powered vessel on the Seine. That same year the US Congress granted Livingston and Fulton exclusive rights to operate steamboats on New York waters during the next 20 years. The first Albany New York trip took 32 hours to travel the 150-mile course. Although his efforts were labeled Fultons Folly by his detractors, his success allowed the partnership to begin commercial service the next year, Sept 4, 1808.
When:
August 17, 2017 all-day
2017-08-17T00:00:00-06:00
2017-08-18T00:00:00-06:00
Where:
http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/fulton.html
