With flat hulls and propulsion systems mounted above the water line, the unique construction of steamboats made them ideal for travelling the shallow Ohio River, helping revolutionize transportation and turn southwest Ohio from an unsettled frontier into a bustling commercial center. Throughout the s and even up until the early 20 th century, steamboats dominated the waterways of the Ohio River.
In August of , inventor Robert Fulton made history as his steam powered boat, the Clermont , travelled from New York City to Albany, New York, successfully making the mile journey in 32 hours. Born in Pennsylvania in , Fulton originally established himself as a painter in Philadelphia before poor health led him to travelling abroad on the advice of his doctor. Departing the United States in , Fulton poured himself into science and engineering while overseas, developing several new inventions for European powers including the Nautilus , an early submarine prototype.
Returning to New York in , Fulton and his business partner Robert Livingston, an American lawyer he met in France in , set about constructing a new steam powered boat that would revolutionize transportation. Officially named the North River Steamboat of Clermont , the boat is popularly known simply as the Clermont. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit.
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If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media. Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service. Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives. The Industrial Revolution was the transition from creating goods by hand to using machines. Its start and end are widely debated by scholars, but the period generally spanned from about to According to some, this turning point in history is responsible for an increase in population, an increase in the standard of living, and the emergence of the capitalist economy.
Teach your students about the Industrial Revolution with these resources. The construction of roads, canals, and railways in the 19th century accelerated the rise of the massive United States economy. Whether it was mechanical inventions or new ways of doing old things, innovations powered the Industrial Revolution.
Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students. Skip to content. Image Steamboat River Transport Steamboats proved a popular method of commercial and passenger transportation along the Mississippi River and other inland U.
Ferries could also be considered riverboats, although they travel from one side of a river to another, rather than up and down it. Around the beginning of the 19th century, John Fitch and Robert Fulton introduced the technology for steam-powered vessels to the U. Before long, large, multi-tiered steam-powered paddlewheel boats populated U. Steamboats were quickly adopted on other rivers throughout the world, such as the Yangtze River in China, and the Murray River in Australia.
Steamboats offered larger cargo space than had ever been available before, and thus were naturally used to haul various goods up and down waterways. They were, of course, also used for public transportation. Steamboats were also used as luxury cruise vessels for vacationing travelers, in the same way that many ocean liners had the split roles of cargo ships as well as luxurious getaways.
During the s, the casino industry became deeply intertwined with riverboats, and riverboat gambling became commonplace.
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