Robert Fulton was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the world's first commercially successful steamboat, the North River Steamboat. 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, in 62 hours. The success of his steamboat changed river traffic and trade on major American rivers.
An 1806 portrait of Fulton by Benjamin West now housed at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York
A drawing of Fulton's invention Nautilus
Fulton's 1806 submarine design for the U.S. government
An 1803 bust of Fulton by Jean-Antoine Houdon
A steamboat is a boat that is propelled primarily by steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S or PS ; however, these designations are most often used for steamships.
Lookout, transport steamer on the Tennessee River, c. 1860–1865
Dutch river steam-tugboat Mascotte II
Model of the steamship built in 1784 by Claude de Jouffroy.
Charlotte Dundas, built by William Symington.