Today's Google doodle celebrates a British inventor who played a major role in the industrial revolution, and who was also something of a steam-powered badass. The doodle commemorates the colourful life of Cornish inventor Richard Trevithick, born today in 1771.
Trevithick built the first high-pressure steam engine in 1799, and the first full-scale working steam locomotive, which made the world's first industrial rail journey in Wales on 21 February 1804. He had a terrible head for business but a clear mischievous streak, betting on his engines, exhibiting them in a 'steam circus', and giving them names like Puffing Devil and Catch Me Who Can.
If you're thinking 'Hang on -- didn't George Stephenson invent trains an' that?', you'd be half-right: Stephenson built the first public railway line, and his Locomotion No. 1 steam locomotive hauled the first train in 1825 before it was superceded by Stephenson's famous Rocket.
Trevithick later had a crack at driving the first tunnel under the Thames but nearly drowned when it failed. He also invented a system for raising wrecked ships with air tanks, and, when one ship's owner refused to pay, he simply cut the ropes and let it sink again.
It's good to see Google celebrating a great British pioneer who never achieved the success he deserved during his life. In recent days, Google has also celebrated Robert Bunsen, the man behind the Bunsen burner and the inspiration for the hapless muppet scientist, and Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space.
Incidentally, tomorrow is Thunderbirds puppet-master Gerry Anderson's birthday. If the man behind Captain Scarlet, Stingray and Fireball XL5 doesn't deserve a doodle, then we don't know who does.
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Anonymous 13 April, 2011 12:28
Interesting picture of the "Google Train". Unfortunately it wasn't drawn by an engineer as the gears that mesh would not rotate correctly. Inparticualr the red and yellow gears and the central wheel gear. If the red wheel rotated anti-clockwise then the back wheel would move the train forward. Also the red gear would rotate the middle wheel clockwise to move the train forward. However as the yellow gear is in mesh with the red one it would try to rotate the middle wheel and front wheels ant-clockwise. D'oh
anonymous 13 April, 2011 14:54
...And that is why Google don't do hardware
Gaucho 9 May, 2011 14:57
Richard Trevithick was one of the first to be ripped off by his employer, who built boilers. A few years back, while in a library here in the USA, I happened to pick up a children's book about steam engines. The foreword was signed Richard Trevithick, the great, great, great, (or however many "greats"), grandson of the good man himself!
Over the years I have been sporadically involved with steam power and have often thought of this pioneer during the course of my work. Thanks, Dick! Your invention went a long way towards moving the industrial revolution forwards, for better or for worse depending on one's particular point of view.