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Richard Trevithick (1771-1833) was a British inventor and mining engineer who pioneered steam-powered road and rail transport. He developed the first high-pressure steam engine and the first working railway steam locomotive, and worked as a consultant in Peru and Costa Rica.
Learn about Richard Trevithick, the British engineer who invented the first steam railway locomotive and the high-pressure steam engine. Find out how he improved the efficiency and design of steam engines and boilers, and why he failed in business and died in poverty.
Learn about Richard Trevithick, the British inventor of the first steam locomotive, who also built the first steam carriage and dredger. Find out his biography, achievements, and challenges in this brief article from Britannica.
Learn about Richard Trevithick, a Cornish inventor and engineer who pioneered steam-powered road and rail transport. Discover his achievements, legacy, and impact on British history and industry.
- Early Life
- Industrial Revolution Pioneer
- Trevithick’s Death and Burial
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Trevithick was born in Illogan, Cornwall, in 1771, the son of a Cornish mining family. Dubbed “The Cornish Giant” for his height—he stood 6’2”, remarkably tall for the time—and for his athletic build, Trevithick was an accomplished wrestler and sportsman, but an unaccomplished scholar. He did, however, have an aptitude for math. And when he was old...
Trevithick grew up in the crucible of the Industrial Revolution, surrounded by emerging mining technology. His neighbor, William Murdoch, was pioneering new advances in steam-carriage technology. Steam engines were also used to pump water out of the mines. Because James Wattalready held a number of important steam-engine patents, Trevithick attempt...
"I have been branded with folly and madness for attempting what the world calls impossibilities, and even from the great engineer, the late Mr. James Watt, who said to an eminent scientific character still living, that I deserved hanging for bringing into use the high-pressure engine. This so far has been my reward from the public; but should this ...
Learn about the life and achievements of Richard Trevithick, who built the first steam-powered locomotive in 1804. Discover how he faced challenges from James Watt and ended his life in poverty.
- Mary Bellis
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Jun 22, 2012 · Learn about the life and achievements of Richard Trevithick, the inventor of the first high-pressure steam engine and the first steam locomotive. Discover how he overcame challenges, criticism and poverty to advance engineering and steam technology.
Learn about Richard Trevithick, the English engineer who invented the first high-pressure steam engine and the first steam railway locomotive. Discover his achievements, challenges and failures in his life and career.
