William Symington
Scottish engineer and inventor / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This article is about the Scottish engineer and inventor. For the US senator from Missouri, see Stuart Symington. For the Presbyterian minister, see William Symington (minister).
William Symington (1764–1831) was a Scottish engineer and inventor during the Georgian era.[1] He is most well known as the builder of the first practical steamboat, the Charlotte Dundas.[2][3] The engine has been described as "without doubt the most compact and efficient marine steam engine up to that time" and its design would influence later steamboat and steamship engine designs.[1] While Symington died in povery after failing to commercialise his steam engine designs, he is still credited as one of the great inventors of the early industrial revolution.[4]