Being able to successfully place a steam engine on board a boat changed the world in the 19th century. The first experimental steamboats led to steam-powered passenger liners, and transportation, warfare, and civilization itself would never be the same.

These milestones in steamships demonstrate the highlights of a century of advances on the water.

•John Fitch Demonstrated a Steamboat

In 1787 the American inventor John Fitch demonstrated a practical steamboat on the Delaware River. The crowd, which included prominent politicians attending the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, was impressed. But Fitch's boat proved unprofitable, which may have been in part due to his own problems as a businessman.

•Robert Fulton's Clermont

The American engineer Robert Fulton produced the first commercially successful steamboat. His craft, eventually called The Clermont, was launched in New York City on August 17, 1807. The ship would travel between New York City and Albany, and proved the practicality of steam propulsion on rivers. 

•Cornelius Vanderbilt's Fleet

Known by the nickname "The Commodore," Cornelius Vanderbilt made a fortune by operating steamboats in the waters around New York City. Vanderbilt's ships gained a reputation for reliability and safety, and Vanderbilt acquired a reputation for ruthlessness in business.More »

•Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Innovations

The brilliant British engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel designed three steamships in his career, and each one made considerable technological advances. His first ship, the Great Britain, was the largest steamship in the world when built; his second ship, the Great Western, used a propeller, a novel concept at the time; and his third ship, the legendary Great Eastern, was built on a massive scale, which let it carry enough coal to travel almost anywhere.More »

•The Burning of the Steamship Lexington

A routine trip between New York City and Connecticut turned into a floating horror on the Long Island Sound one winter night in 1840. The Lexington, a reliable ship to that point, somehow caught fire, costing 140 lives. A cargo of cotton fueled the fire, but four survivors managed to float on large bales until rescued.More »

•Wreck of the SS Arctic

One of the most luxurious steamships afloat, the Arctic, was rammed by another ship in dense fog in September 1854. The Arctic sank slowly, but many lives were lost when crewmen panicked. The story of how women and children were left to drown turned the story of the Arctic into a national scandal.More »