INVENTOR

Robert Fulton

1765 - 1815

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Robert Fulton (November 14, 1765 – February 24, 1815) was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the world's first commercially successful steamboat, the North River Steamboat (also known as Clermont). In 1807, that steamboat traveled on the Hudson River with passengers from New York City to Albany and back again, a round trip of 300 nautical miles (560 kilometers), in 62 hours. The success of his steamboat changed river traffic and trade on major American rivers. Fulton became interested in steam engines and the idea of steamboats in 1777 when he was around age 12 and visited state delegate William Henry of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who was interested in this topic. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Robert Fulton is the 46th most popular inventor (down from 36th in 2019), the 549th most popular biography from United States (down from 332nd in 2019) and the 10th most popular American Inventor.

Robert Fulton is most famous for inventing the first commercially successful steamboat.

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Among INVENTORS

Among inventors, Robert Fulton ranks 46 out of 426. Before him are Frank Whittle, Bob Kahn, Ismail al-Jazari, Adolphe Sax, Wilhelm Maybach, and Herman Hollerith. After him are Steve Wozniak, Karl Drais, George Westinghouse, Douglas Engelbart, Konrad Zuse, and Hiram Maxim.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1765, Robert Fulton ranks 6. Before him are William IV of the United Kingdom, Pope Gregory XVI, Nicéphore Niépce, Eli Whitney, and Pyotr Bagration. After him are Jacques MacDonald, Princess Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt, Karl Ludwig Harding, Charles Felix of Sardinia, Carl Ludwig Willdenow, and Emma, Lady Hamilton. Among people deceased in 1815, Robert Fulton ranks 5. Before him are Joachim Murat, Michel Ney, Sarah Baartman, and Franz Mesmer. After him are Louis-Alexandre Berthier, Jan Potocki, Guillaume Brune, Carsten Niebuhr, Emma, Lady Hamilton, José María Morelos, and Smithson Tennant.

Others Born in 1765

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Others Deceased in 1815

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Robert Fulton ranks 549 out of 20,380. Before him are Anne Hathaway (1982), Buffalo Bill (1846), Robert Woodrow Wilson (1936), Danny Trejo (1944), John Malkovich (1953), and Raymond Chandler (1888). After him are Henry James (1843), Frances Cleveland (1864), Ted Kaczynski (1942), Philip Roth (1933), Steve Wozniak (1950), and Pontiac (1714).

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Among INVENTORS In United States

Among inventors born in United States, Robert Fulton ranks 10. Before him are Eli Whitney (1765), Lee de Forest (1873), Jimmy Wales (1966), Samuel Colt (1814), Bob Kahn (1938), and Herman Hollerith (1860). After him are Steve Wozniak (1950), George Westinghouse (1846), Douglas Engelbart (1925), Hiram Maxim (1840), Samuel Pierpont Langley (1834), and Charles Goodyear (1800).

American born Inventors

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