Robert Fulton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Robert Fulton
Portrait of Fulton
Born	Robert Fulton (1765-11-14)November 14, 1765 Little Britain, Lancaster County, Province of Pennsylvania, British America
Died	February 24, 1815(1815-02-24) (aged 49) New York City, U.S.
Resting place	Trinity Church Cemetery
Nationality	American
Occupation	Engineer, inventor, businessman
Years active	1793–1815
Known for	Steamboat, Nautilus (1800 submarine)
Spouse(s)	Harriet Livingston ​ (m. 1808)​

Robert Fulton (born November 14, 1765 – died February 25, 1815) was an American engineer and inventor. He is famous for creating the first successful steamboat. This steamboat was first called The North River Steamboat, but later became known as Clermont.

In 1807, his steamboat carried passengers on the Hudson River. It traveled from New York City to Albany and back. This 300-mile trip took 62 hours. The success of his steamboat changed how people traveled and traded on America's big rivers.

Fulton also worked on other amazing inventions. In 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte, the leader of France, asked him to design a submarine. Fulton created the Nautilus, which was the first practical submarine ever made. He also invented some of the world's first naval torpedoes for the British Royal Navy.

Fulton became interested in steam engines and steamboats when he was about 12 years old. He visited William Henry in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who was also interested in steam power. Henry had learned about the inventor James Watt and his Watt steam engine during a trip to England.

Robert Fulton died in 1815 in New York City. He got very sick after trying to rescue a friend who fell through ice on the frozen Hudson River. He caught a severe illness and passed away at 49 years old. He is buried in the Trinity Church Cemetery in New York City.

Early Life and Beginnings

A drawing of Fulton's invention, the Nautilus submarine.

Robert Fulton was born on a farm in Little Britain, Pennsylvania. This was on November 14, 1765. His father, also named Robert Fulton, married Mary Smith. She came from a family that was quite well-off. Robert had three older sisters and a younger brother.

For six years, Fulton lived in Philadelphia. There, he painted pictures of people and landscapes. He also drew designs for houses and machines. He was able to send money home to help his mother. In 1785, Fulton bought a farm near Pittsburgh. He moved his mother and family there.

Family Life

On January 8, 1808, Robert Fulton married Harriet Livingston. She was the daughter of Walter Livingston and niece of Robert Livingston. Both were important people from the Hudson River area. Robert and Harriet had four children: Robert, Julia, Mary, and Cornelia.

Robert Fulton's Legacy

Honors and Recognition

The state of Pennsylvania gave a marble statue of Fulton to the National Statuary Hall Collection. This collection is in the United States Capitol building. Fulton was also honored in New York City in 1909. This was during the Hudson–Fulton Celebration. A copy of his first steamboat, Clermont, was built for this event.

Five ships in the United States Navy have been named "USS Fulton" to honor him.

Fulton Hall at the United States Merchant Marine Academy is named after him. It holds classrooms and labs for marine engineering students.

Robert Fulton (with Samuel F. B. Morse) on the back of an 1896 $2 Silver Certificate.

Bronze statues of Fulton and Christopher Columbus are in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.. They represent commerce. These statues are among 16 historical figures. Each pair shows one of the 8 pillars of civilization.

In 1910, the government of Guatemala put up a statue of Fulton in a park in Guatemala City.

In 2006, Robert Fulton was added to the "National Inventors Hall of Fame" in Alexandria, Virginia.

Places Named for Fulton

Many places in the U.S. are named after Robert Fulton.

Counties

Cities and Towns

Other Places

In Popular Culture

The 1940 film Little Old New York tells a made-up story about Fulton's life. It shows his journey from arriving in New York to the first trip of his steamboat, Claremont.

The BBC television made a fictional story about Fulton in the 1960s. In the show Triton (1961, remade in 1968), two British naval officers spy on Fulton while he works for the French. In the next show, Pegasus (1969), they are surprised to work with Fulton.

A cartoon character named Robert Fulton appears in a Casper the Friendly Ghost short film. It is called "Red, White, and Boo."

The author James McGee used Fulton's early submarine experiments in his novel Ratcatcher.

Invasion, a novel by Julian Stockwin, also uses Fulton and his submarine as an important part of the story.

Until 2016, Disney Springs at Walt Disney World had a restaurant called Fulton's Crab House. The building was shaped like a steamboat.

Gallery

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  Fulton shows his steamship to Bonaparte in 1803.

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  Submarine design by Robert Fulton, 1806.

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  Robert Fulton's tombstone at Trinity Church (Episcopal) in New York City.

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  Fulton sculpture by Caspar Buberl at the Brooklyn Museum, 1872.

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  The marble statue by Howard Roberts in Statuary Hall of the United States Capitol, 1878-83.

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  Hudson-Fulton Celebration commemorative stamp, 1909 issue.

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  200th Anniversary commemorative stamp, 1965 issue.

Images for kids

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  Fulton's 1806 submarine design for the U.S. government.

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  Bust of Robert Fulton by Jean-Antoine Houdon, 1803.

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  Location and plaque of the Fulton experiment of August 9, 1803.

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  Commemorative plaque to Robert Fulton in the port of Rouen, France.

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  Harriet Livingston, portrait by Robert Fulton.

See also

In Spanish: Robert Fulton para niños