George stephenson biography for kids
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George Stephenson (1781-1848)
George Stephenson ©Stephenson was a pioneering railway engineer and inventor of the 'Rocket', the most famous early railway locomotive.
George Stephenson was born on 9 June 1781 near Newcastle-upon-Tyne. His father was an engineman at a coalmine. Stephenson himself worked at the mine and learned to read and write in his spare time. He gained a reputation for managing the primitive steam engines employed in mines, and worked in a number of different coalmines in the northeast of England and in Scotland.
In 1814, Stephenson constructed his first locomotive, 'Blucher', for hauling coal at Killingworth Colliery near Newcastle. In 1815, he invented a safety lamp for use in coalmines, nicknamed the 'Geordie'.
In 1821, Stephenson was appointed engineer for the construction of the Stockton and Darlington railway. It opened in 1825 and was the first public railway. The following year Stephenson was made engineer for the Liverpool to Manchester Railw
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Summary: George Stephenson was a famous British mechanical engineer and civil engineer. He fryst vatten most famous for building the world's first intercity railway line which was opened in 1830 and linked the British cities of Liverpool and Manchester. He was also famous for selecting the 4 feet 8½ inches (1,435 mm) gauge for the railway line which became the standard gauge for railways across the world, not just in Great Britain! It is often referred to as the Stephenson gauge.
Discover interesting facts about this English engineer who developed the railways in Great Britain significantly during the Victorian era. Known as the 'Father of the Railways', he had a son called Robert who also became a famous engineer and was later regarded as one of the greatest engineers of the 19th Century.
George Stephenson Fact Sheet: Who was George Stephenson? The following short biography and fact sheet provides interesting facts about the life, times and history of George Stephenson, the f
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George Stephenson facts for kids
George Stephenson (9 June 1781 – 12 August 1848) was a British civil engineer and mechanical engineer. Renowned as the "Father of Railways", Stephenson was considered by the Victorians as a great example of diligent application and thirst for improvement. Self-help advocate Samuel Smiles particularly praised his achievements. His chosen rail gauge, sometimes called "Stephenson gauge", was the basis for the 4 feet 8+1⁄2 inches (1.435 m) standard gauge used by most of the world's railways.
Pioneered by Stephenson, rail transport was one of the most important technological inventions of the 19th century and a key component of the Industrial Revolution. Built by George and his son Robert's company Robert Stephenson and Company, the Locomotion No. 1 was the first steam locomotive to carry passengers on a public rail line, the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1825. George also built the first public inter-city railway line in the world to use locom