ON THIS DAY IN UNITED STATES HISTORY
August 26, 1791
American Inventor John Fitch is Granted
a United States Patent for the Seamboat
On this day in 1791, the American inventor, silversmith and clockmakter John Fitch was granted a United States
patent for th Steamboat. Four years earlier, Fitch had demonstrated a forty-five foot steamboat in front of
delegates from the Constitutional Convention.
Although Fitch held the patent, it wasn't until after his death that American inventor, Robert Fulton, turned the
steamboat into a commercial success. Steamboats made a large contribution to the U.S. economy by transporting
agricultural and industrial supplies.
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