Robert Fulton the "Nautilus", the first practical submarine in history. Fulton is also credited with inventing some of the world's earliest naval torpedoes for use by the British Royal Navy. Fulton became interested in steam engines and the idea of steamboats in 1777 when he was around age 12 and visited state delegate William Henry of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who was interested in this topic. Henry had learned about inventor James Watt and his Watt steam engine on an earlier visit to England. Robert Fulton was born on a farm in Little Britain, Pennsylvania, on November 14, 1765. He had three sisters –
Alexander Bonner Latta practical steam fire engine that they were using successfully to put out fires. The Cincinnati fire department officially became the first paid company of firemen. The city ordered another of Latta's practical steam fire engines in 1854 and it was named "Citizen's Gift", since the money to purchase it came from the citizens of Cincinnati. Boston was the next to adopt Latta's practical steam fire engine, followed by New York City, and then other cities. The steam fire engine "Uncle Joe Ross" was demonstrated in a test in 1855 when it exploded. This was the first steam fire engine explosion.