Steamboat is a steam-driven vessel that sails on rivers. It also refers to smaller vessels on lakes or in coastal waters of the sea. Steamship is used for large vessels, such as those on the open sea. In 1787, John Fitch demonstrated the first workable steamboat in the United States. The first financially successful steamboat was Robert Fulton’s Clermont. In 1807, it steamed 150 miles (241 kilometers) up the Hudson River from New York City to Albany. It made the trip in about 30 hours. Steamboats carried passengers before the development of railroads and other means of transportation. Steamships are still used in many parts of the world.
See also Clermont ; Fitch, John ; Roosevelt, Nicholas J. ; Ship .
