Stephenson, George (1781-1848), was a British engineer whose inventions helped create the British railroad system. In 1814, while working as chief mechanic at a coal mine in Killingworth, near Newcastle, he completed his first locomotive. This locomotive, Blucher, could pull eight coal cars at 4 miles (6 kilometers) per hour. Stephenson helped his son, Robert, build the Rocket, a locomotive that became the model for almost all later steam locomotives. He also created such useful inventions as a miner’s lamp and an alarm clock. In addition, Stephenson sponsored schools and libraries for miners and their children.
Stephenson built the world’s first public railroad, the Stockton and Darlington, which opened in 1825. He then began the complicated task of building the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, using his ideas for tunnels, grading, and bridges to make a level roadbed.
Stephenson was born on June 9, 1781, in Wylam, near Newcastle. He died on Aug. 12, 1848.
See also Railroad (Invention of the locomotive) ; Stephenson, Robert
