The Steamboat was one of the most important inventions of the 16^th century. Created by Thomas Newcomen and later improved by James Watt, steamboats engines revolutionized river travel. In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, a majority of the story takes place on a steamboat traveling up the Congo River. Steamboats became very popular in America as John Fitch demonstrated the first working model steamboat on the Delaware River in 1787. After Fitch, Robert Fulton and Robert Livingston successfully designed a steamboat and made its first voyage from New York City to Albany, New York in 1807. Around this time, steamboats went an impressive five miles, eight kilometers, per hour and made frequent round trips for work and pleasure. Once the design and engine were perfected, 19^th century major rivers were packed with steamboats as it was a quicker way to move people and goods. Even though they were more efficient, these boats were also quite dangerous as boilers could build up pressure and explode, debris, rocks, and other objects could cause them to sink, and overall, the boats had short life spans. Despite the fall backs, these boats were also cheap to make and maintain, which meant they where wonderful for exploration expeditions (the Congo River) and leisure travel (the Nile River).

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/steamboat/

https://www.britannica.com/technology/steamboat