USA HISTORY

LIFE IN ANTEBELLUM AMERICA 1807 1861

THE TRANSPORTATION REVOLUTION TURNPIKES TO STEAMBOATS TO RAILROADS

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
What did peter cooper build in 1830?
A
Tom thumb
B
Clermont
C
Small steamboat
D
Small powerful locomotive
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -“I had naturally a knack for contriving.” In 1830, Peter Cooper designed, built, and drove the first steam-powered locomotive to operate a public railroad in the United States-a feat of engineering that helped ensure the future success of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.

Detailed explanation-2: -The ‘Tom Thumb, ’ constructed by Peter Cooper in 1829, was the first locomotive to be built in America. “The real victory was with Mr. Cooper, ” Latrobe told his audience in 1868. Hitching its future to steam power, the B&O in January 1831 advertised a $4, 000 prize for the development of a more robust engine.

Detailed explanation-3: -In 1830, inventor and businessman Peter Cooper developed and built a small coal-burning steam locomotive that was suitable for the B&O’s planned right of way and track, then from Baltimore to Ellicott Mills, MD (now Ellicott City).

Detailed explanation-4: -Description. In 1830 the first American-built steam locomotive was designed, the Tom Thumb, by Peter Cooper to show the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad that steam engines should be used to power the new railways as opposed to horse-drawn cars.

Detailed explanation-5: -George Stephenson and his son, Robert, built the first practical steam locomotive. Stephenson built his “travelling engine” in 1814, which was used to haul coal at the Killingworth mine.

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