They moved to Lancaster, PA. HIS dad died there In 1774.
He learned to read and write at home, and at 8 years old he went to a Quaker school. At a young age Robert Fulton was talented. He was an artist and at 10 years old, he did design work for gunsmiths. At 17 years old, he went to Philadelphia.
He worked in a jewelry store as an apprentice.He worked with lockets, but he was well known for miniature painting. He had met Benjamin Franklin, becoming friends with him, and painted his portrait. He got paid a lot of money and moved his mom on a farm he bought. In 1787, he moved to London.
He wanted to study art there. Benjamin West was a family friend and a popular artist in London who helped him. His paintings were not as popular, and he wasn't making a lot of money like he did In Philadelphia. At this point, he was unsure of what the future could be If he kept painting.Having a new interest In canal engineering had taken his attention away from the painting. As an engineer, he created the machine to saw marble, created the double-incline plane, which lifts boats out of the water.
Also he created the mechanical dredge, which digs out dirt by a big machine. He wrote the booklet Treatise on the Improvement of Canal Navigation' that had details of his designs in canal systems. Shipbuilding became his life. He designed the first submarine that he thought could be used in battle.
He offered this idea to the French, but they turned it down.With his own money years eater, he built his design of the submarine, named 'Nautilus'. It was used later in battle with the British. In 1801, while living in Paris, he met Richard Livingston. Livingston had a 20 year control of steamboat navigation in the state of New York.
They became business partners to create a commercial steamboat business. Livingston had an advantage with his connections In business, and Fulton was In charge of the design and build of the ship. The steamboat was an Invention of John Fitch, but he had problems where he couldn't pay for the upkeep of the boat and equines costs.The failure of John Fitch had turned into Fulton success. Fulton ideas about steam powered engines created the improvements of the steamboats power system, motor and overall function. In 1807, after a year of being built in New York, "The North River Steamboat of Claremont" was ready for business.
In 1808, the name changed to the "Claremont" which ran for business along the Hudson River carrying passengers and freight from New York City to Albany, New York. Fulton made more boats that were used in Mississippi and the Raritan river.Years later, other inventions he made were when he worked with the US Navy. The "Demonology" was the first steam powered warship made in history. The ship never went in battle because the war had ended.
He also created weapons for ships and a system In blowing up ships with mines. In 1815, after being In Icy waters he had gotten sick left his mark on the world with his inventions and designs that helped our country. He was dedicated to his work and there is a marble statue in the U. S. Capitol building to honor him.
