The “Rocket”
February 13, 2008 – 1:52 pm by BHNo, not him. From Creating Modern Capitalism by Thomas McCraw:
In 1830, when the nation’s first major railway was opened between Liverpool and Manchester, Britain entered the modern transportation age. The first locomotive, called the “Rocket,” traveled as fast as 25 miles an hour. At a time when a loaded horse-drawn wagon needed not an hour but at least a whole day to travel 25 miles, the railway represented almost blinding speed. Many people wondered if the human body could endure the strain. [Emphasis added.]
On a related note, the WSJ has an interactive graphic and an article about a new era in American railroading.
