Today marks what would have been Richard Trevithick's 240th birthday. Google is celebrating the anniversary of the late engineer's birth with a customized logo on their website.
Born on this day in 1771, Trevithick was a Cornish engineer that developed the technology for the steam engine.
Trevithick worked with his father in underground mines
as a young adult, where he first showed off his talents for engineering.
Trevithick became interested in trying to create an alternative model to Thomas Newcomen�s engine that had been further developed by James Watt. On Christmas Eve in 1801, Trevithick finally succeeded building The Puffing Devil as he called it, a steam road locomotive that could transport several men.
The Puffing Devil broke down three days later, but Trevithick continued to expand his idea and built The London Steam Carriage just two years later.
The following year in 1804, a locomotive based on Trevithick's first vehicles made the world's first locomotive-hauled railway trip, puling 10 tons of iron with it.
Today, Trevithink is celebrated around the world as one of the pioneers of steam locomotion that has led to modern transportation technology.