Richard Trevithick
British inventor and mining engineer (1771-1833)
- Fame54.5
- Momentum0.0
- Scientists rank#192
Source-basedFalling
- Fame54.5
- Momentum0.0
- Scientists rank#192
- Wikipedia11.3K
Lived 1771–1833, aged 62United Kingdom
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Summary
Updated 2026-06-09
He built the first high-pressure steam engine and the first working railway locomotive — then watched the world's first locomotive-hauled journey roll through Wales in 1804 and still died nearly forgotten.
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Born 13 April 1771 in Cornwall's mining heartland, son of a mining captain, Trevithick grew up inside the machinery. He pioneered high-pressure steam and on 21 February 1804 his unnamed locomotive hauled a train along the Penydarren Ironworks tramway in Merthyr Tydfil — the world's first locomotive-hauled railway journey. Later he worked as a mining consultant in Peru and explored Costa Rica, but financial ruin and bitter rivalry with other engineers shadowed him throughout. At his peak he was a respected figure in mining and engineering; he was also a champion Cornish wrestler, extremely stro…
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Fame
Falling54.5
Composite of search demand, mentions, audience & graph footprint.
Score components
Historical22.4
Source confidence60.0
Completeness70.0
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- WikipediaHigh confidencewikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- WikidataHigh confidencewikidata · wikidata.org
- Pantheon 2.0High confidencedatabase · pantheon.world
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