Richard Trevithick
British inventor and mining engineer (1771-1833) · United Kingdom · Scientists · Died at 62
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Something wrong?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 strong. By the time he died on 22 April 1833, the public eye had moved on.
Scientists from the United Kingdom 6
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