INVENTOR

Robert Fulton

1765 - 1815

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Icon of person Robert Fulton

Robert Fulton (November 14, 1765 – February 24, 1815) was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the world's first commercially successful steamboat, the North River Steamboat (also known as Clermont). 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 (560 kilometers), in 62 hours. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Robert Fulton has received more than 1,361,873 page views. His biography is available in 62 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 58 in 2019). Robert Fulton is the 36th most popular inventor (down from 33rd in 2019), the 332nd most popular biography from United States (down from 272nd in 2019) and the 8th most popular American Inventor.

Robert Fulton is most famous for inventing the first commercially successful steamboat.

Memorability Metrics

  • 1.4M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 69.17

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 62

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 9.09

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.88

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among INVENTORS

Among inventors, Robert Fulton ranks 36 out of 426Before him are Joseph Marie Jacquard, Thomas Newcomen, Nicolas Appert, Eli Whitney, George Westinghouse, and Igor Sikorsky. After him are László Bíró, Richard Trevithick, Adolphe Sax, Frank Whittle, John Logie Baird, and Ruth Handler.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1765, Robert Fulton ranks 5Before him are William IV of the United Kingdom, Pope Gregory XVI, Nicéphore Niépce, and Eli Whitney. After him are Pyotr Bagration, Princess Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt, Charles Felix of Sardinia, Emma, Lady Hamilton, Paolo Ruffini, Jacques MacDonald, and Karl Ludwig Harding. Among people deceased in 1815, Robert Fulton ranks 4Before him are Joachim Murat, Michel Ney, and Sarah Baartman. After him are Louis-Alexandre Berthier, Franz Mesmer, Jan Potocki, Emma, Lady Hamilton, Carsten Niebuhr, Guillaume Brune, José María Morelos, and 9th Dalai Lama.

Others Born in 1765

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Others Deceased in 1815

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Robert Fulton ranks 332 out of 20,380Before him are Stevie Wonder (1950), Warren G. Harding (1865), Eminem (1972), Bruce Springsteen (1949), Philip Kotler (1931), and Louise Glück (1943). After him are Joe Frazier (1944), Henry Clay (1777), Shaquille O'Neal (1972), William Henry Harrison (1773), Christopher Walken (1943), and Jared Leto (1971).

Among INVENTORS In United States

Among inventors born in United States, Robert Fulton ranks 8Before him are Henry Ford (1863), Samuel Morse (1791), Samuel Colt (1814), Steve Wozniak (1950), Eli Whitney (1765), and George Westinghouse (1846). After him are Ruth Handler (1916), Jimmy Wales (1966), Willis Carrier (1876), Herman Hollerith (1860), William G. Morgan (1870), and Douglas Engelbart (1925).