George Stephenson

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George Stephenson
Born(1781-06-09)9 June 1781
Died(1848-08-12)12 August 1848 (age 67)
Cause of deathPleurisy
George Stephenson

George Stephenson (9 June 1781 – 12 August 1848) was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer. He built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives. He is known as the "Father of Railways". George was born in Wylam, which is in Northumberland.

Stephenson's rail gauge of 4 feet 8½ inches (1,435 mm),[1] sometimes called the "Stephenson gauge", is the standard gauge for most of the world's railways. He also invented a miner's safety lamp, which was widely used in the north of England.

Notes[change | change source]

  1. Rail guage is the standard distance between the two rails.