History's Best Selling Vehicles of 1807

Extra! Extra! On the home front and across the nation, 1807 saw a swell surge of swell Yankee ingenuity and home-front craftsmanship in the world of vehicles! Leading the charge were mighty, top-selling marvels like Hydrogen Automobile and Steamboat, capturing the public’s fancy in grand fashion. Distinguished creators from industry leaders like François Isaac de Rivaz and Robert Fulton proved their mettle with essential classics, delivering craftsmanship that swept main street from coast to coast as genuine top-flight hits. Step right up and inspect our complete, rank-ordered historical archive below!

1. Hydrogen Automobile

   Released in 1807 by François Isaac de Rivaz

   On January 30, 1807, Swiss inventor François Isaac de Rivaz was granted imperial patent number 731 in Paris for a truly revolutionary concept: a vehicle propelled by an internal combustion engine. This date doesn't mark a product launch, but the official birth of an idea that would change the world. In an era dominated by steam power and horse-drawn carriages, de Rivaz's patent for a machine using a hydrogen and oxygen gas mixture was an extraordinary leap of imagination. It was the first time in history that the principle of harnessing a controlled explosion within a cylinder to create mechanical motion for a vehicle was formally recognized, establishing a conceptual cornerstone for all subsequent automotive development.

2. Steamboat (Clermont)

   Released in 1807 by Robert Fulton

   On August 17, 1807, a crowd of skeptics gathered at the docks of New York City to witness what many dubbed 'Fulton's Folly'. They expected failure, but what they saw was the dawn of a new era. The North River Steamboat, later famously known as the Clermont, belched smoke and, with its paddlewheels churning, began a steady journey up the Hudson River. This was not a mere demonstration; it was its maiden commercial voyage to Albany. The vessel completed the 150-mile trip in a stunning 32 hours, proving definitively that steam power could conquer the river's current and make water travel reliable, scheduled, and profitable. This date marks the pivotal moment when steamboat technology transitioned from experimental curiosity to a commercially viable force that would reshape American commerce and expansion.