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Fulton's Birth
November 14, 1765, Robert Fulton was born, in Little Britain, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. No one knew yet, that this baby boy could achieve so much in the span of 50 years. -
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Timespan
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First Signs of Creativity (Day and Month Unknown)
As a young boy, Fulton experimented with Mercury and bullets and built rockets. His friends nicknamed him "Quicksilver Bob." -
Father's Death (Day and Month Unknown)
Robert's Father Robert, died in 1773. Robert was named after his remarkable Father. He was only eight when his Father died. -
Interest in Steamboats (Day and Month Unknown)
Robert gained interest in Steamboats in 1777 when he visited William Henry of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who had recently learned about James Watt's steam engine on a visit to England. -
Paddle Wheels Invention (Day and Month Unknown)
Fulton's first invention was Paddle Wheels. These were to be attatched alongside his Father's fishing boat. -
Decision to Become an Artist (Day and Month Unknown)
Learning to sketch early on, by age 17, Robert decided to become an artist. His father, who had died when Robert was eight, had been a close friend to the father of painter Benjamin West. Fulton later met West in England and they became friends. -
Philadelphia (6 years - 1782 to 1788)
Fulton stayed in Philadelphia for six years at the age of 20, where he painted portraits and landscapes, drew houses and machinery. While living in Philadelphia, he met Benjamin Franklin and other prominent Revolutionary War figures. -
Visit to Europe (Day and Month Unknown)
After spending some time in Philadelphia, Fulton decided to visit Europe. He was 23 years old. -
Plans for Steam Powered Vessels (Day and Month Unknown)
Fulton proposed plans for steam powered vessels to both the United States and British governments. Robert met the Duke of Bridgewater, whose canal was used for trials of a steam tug, and who later ordered steam tugs from William Symington. -
Design of The Nautilus (1793 to 1797)
Fulton designed the first working submarine, the Nautilus between 1793 and 1797. When tested, his submarine went underwater for 17 minutes in 25 feet of water. He asked the government to subsidize its construction but unfortunately they turned it down twice. The Minister of Marine granted Fulton to build it in July of 1800, and it sailed first in July 1800 on the Seine River, France. -
The Panorama, "Vue de Paris depuis les Tuilerie." (Day and Month Unknown"
Fulton ventured off to France, where Claude de Jouffroy had made a working paddle steamer in 1783, and commenced experimenting with submarine torpedoes and torpedo boats. Fulton was the first inventor of the first ever panorama to be shown in Paris, which was complete by 1800. It was painted by Pierre Prévost, Jean Mouchet and Denis Fontaine. The street where his panorama was shown is still called "Rue des Panoramas" -
Study and Designing. (Date and Month Unknown)
Fulton was now officially in Paris, France. The design process of torpedoes and submarines was well underway with his buddy Claude de Jouffroy and also independently. In Paris, Fulton studied French, German, mathematics and chemistry. -
Robert and Robert's Steamboat Disaster
After meeting Robert R. Livingston in France, they decided to build a steamboat together and try running it on the River, Seine. Fulton experimented with everything you could think of, made drawings and models, and had the steamboat constructed. At the first trial the boat ran perfectly, but the hull was later rebuilt and strengthened, and on August 9, 1803, this boat steamed up the River Seine, but sank. The boat was 20.1m. -
Royal Navy Commission
In 1804, Fulton moved to England, where he was commissioned by Prime Minister William Pitt to build a range of weapons for use by the Royal Navy during Napoleon's invasion scare. Some of his inventions were the world's first modern naval torpedoes, which were tested, during the 1804 Raid on Boulogne, but had little success..Fulton continued to develop his inventions with the British until 1806. -
Return to America
Fulton returned to America and married Harriet Livingston. They produced four children. By this stage, Robert was 41 years of age. -
The Clermont
Robert and Harriet, together, designed and built the first commercial steamboat, the North River Steamboat (later known as the Clermont), which carried passengers between New York City and Albany, New York. The Clermont made a 241 km trip in 32 hours. -
The Final Design
Fulton's final design was the Demologos the world's first steam driven warship built for the US Navy for the war of 1812. The vessel was not finished until after his death and renamed the Fulton in his honor. -
How did Fulton die?
Below was taken straight from WikipediaFulton died in 1815 from tuberculosis. He had been walking home on the frozen Hudson River when one of his friends, Addis Emmet, fell through the ice. In the attempt to rescue his friend, Fulton got soaked with icy water and on the journey home he caught pneumonia. When he got home his sickness worsened. -
Fulton's Final Days
At 50, Fulton lay his eyes to rest and said goodbye to his loving family. His wife and four children burried him at the Trinity Church Cemetery in New York City, alongside other famous Americans such as Alexander Hamilton and Albert Gallatin. One of his descendants include former Major League Baseball pitcher Cory Lidle.
