Tech History Made on February 12, 1791

On this day in 1791 the designer and producer of the first American built locomotive was born. Peter Cooper was born in New York City to Dutch parents. He had little schooling but had many jobs throughout the years; hat maker, couch maker's apprentice, cabinet maker, grocer, and he worked in the cloth shearing machine industry. Cooper's claim to fame was the design and manufacturing of Tom Thumb, the first American built steam locomotive. Tom Thumb was "a 4-wheel locomotive with a vertical boiler and vertically mounted cylinders that drove the wheels on one of the axles". Cooper had good reason to design and build the locomotive, boost his property values. How? He wanted the rail companies to adopt the steam locomotive and begin laying line through an area where he owned real estate, instant value boost. Tom Thumb caught on and soon rail companies where gearing up for their first steam locomotive.