The skill of Fulton and the confidence of Livingston are some of
the reasons why on that August day in 1807 the ridicule turned to
cheers when the Clermont
steamed up the Hudson. And the thousands of
inventors and their financial backers that followed are some of
the reasons why the original thirteen states became forty-eight,
and why our nation became one of the richest and most powerful in
the world. ●