Robert Fulton is one of the most interesting names of the New Age. An eyewitness to many interesting events, a war veteran, inventor and scientist. You can list the unique qualities of this man for a long time, but would it not be better to turn to the legacy of what Robert Fulton left to the descendants?
Biography
The childhood and youth of the future inventor passed in America. Date of birth - 1765. Place of birth - the town of Little Britain. Robert's father died when the boy was only three years old. Robert and his family had to move closer to their mother's family - in the small town of Lancaster. There Robert Fulton went to school.
The education of those times left much to be desired. Pupils were given to memorize long pieces of Greek and Roman works, stories were told from the life of distant European countries - all this did not represent the slightest interest for the future inventor. Much more willingly he spent time in the old forge on the edge of the city, rummaged through the tools of artisans, and collected all kinds of trinkets. Already at the age of thirteen, he drew up his first technical drawing, and a little later, according to his sketches on the water, the world's first boat with a steam engine descended.
After graduation, Robert Fulton tries himself in jewelry. Then he tried to become a draftsman. Realizing how much he lacks knowledge, he decides to take a long trip to England - the capital of technical innovations. It is here that everything that Robert Fulton invented begins to take real shape - dreams turn into reality.
Stay in England
Robert Fulton lived with Benjamin West - one of the most famous artists of that time. He did not abandon his dream of making a sea ship with a fundamentally new engine - neither oars nor wind. Finally, a project has been created. The first drawing of the ship was submitted to the Government of England in 1793.
In 1797 he moved to Paris, where he continued to work on his invention, which would perpetuate his name - Robert Fulton. The biography of the inventor speaks of the most saturated period of his life. In Paris, Fulton studies German and French, improves his own knowledge of chemistry, technology and mathematics. Here he meets James Ramsay, an English inventor, who in 1786 built the prototype of the first steamboat in West Virginia.
Rejection of opening
To Franklin's surprise, his discovery was considered a whim, a useless toy. The Admiralty indicated that it was not going to invest in a deliberately non-existent ship. Frustrated, Robert Fulton with his projects gathered in France, where by that time the revolution had already died down, and Napoleon 1 came to power. Maybe in France his new projects will be needed?
Robert Fulton and Napoleon
In the notes of Count Mirabeau there is a mention of the meeting of the American inventor with Napoleon. Robert Fulton, the creator of the ship, suggested that the emperor replenish the French fleet with new ships that would be set in motion by steam. He convinced the emperor that with such fighting vehicles Napoleon 1 would quickly overcome his eternal rival - France.
After listening to the inventor, Napoleon exclaimed:
- Every day terrifying projects are put on the table for me, which is stupid than impossible to invent. Just yesterday I was asked to land cavalry seated on tame dolphins on the coast of England. Go away - you are probably one of these crazy people!
Interestingly, only eight years later, the English ship Bellerophon took Napoleon to the place of his first exile - to the island of St. Helena. In the open sea, the English ship met with the Fulton, which was propelled by steam engines.
The steamboat overtook the Bellerophon and disappeared beyond the horizon. Watching the American ship, Napoleon sadly remarked:
- Not listening to Fulton, I lost my crown.
First ships
In the meantime, Fulton is looking for sponsors for the construction of the first ships with steam engines, in 1800 in France the submarine Nautilus was demonstrated, which conquered the imagination of onlookers.
But for military purposes, the Nautilus was unsuitable, it was too slow, and fast enemy sailboats easily dodged a submarine. Further construction of such ships was suspended, and the importance of submarines was estimated only a hundred years later - during the First World War. Perhaps inspired by this ship many years later, Vern will write his immortal "Captain Nemo." In 1803, the waters of the Seine plowed the
first steamboat. But for large-scale production, there is still not enough time and money. And Robert Fulton decides to return to America.
Sea conquest
In America, Robert Fulton spent several years improving the principles of steam-powered wheeled engines. Three years later, after returning to their homeland in late summer 1807, the first steamboat was launched into the waters of the Hudson River. Contemporaries called it “the steamboat of the Northern River from Clermont,” but in historical notes it is known as “Clermont”. In fact, Clermont is the name of the friend of Fulton's estate, which was located 177 kilometers from New York. The first flight of the Northern River was made along the Hudson River, along the Clermont-New York route. Convinced of the economic potential of his invention, Fulton patented his discovery and launched the release of steamers in the United States.
Steamboats in Russia
In 1813, Fulton asked the Russian government to provide an exclusive right to build river steamboats on the territory of the Russian Empire. Emperor Alexander 1 granted him all the necessary rights, but Fulton could not fulfill the order of the government. For three years not a single ship was launched. After the death of the inventor in 1815, the monopoly on the construction of ships was bought by Charles Bird, who in the same year launched his first steam-powered ship. A report on this event was published in the journal “Son of the Fatherland”. There, for the first time, the word “steamboat” was used, which later became firmly included in modern Russian.