Stephenson's Rocket and the Railway Age

What happened

Building on Richard Trevithick's first steam locomotive of 1804, Robert Stephenson's Rocket won the 1829 Rainhill Trials, reaching around 30 mph (48 km/h). In September 1830 it helped open the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the first inter-city line worked entirely by steam locomotives.

Why it matters

The railway collapsed distances, slashed the cost of moving goods and people, and set off a worldwide boom in railway building that reshaped economies and landscapes.

Sources

• World History Encyclopedia. Stephenson's Rocket · Reputable source