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1st US Railroad Station opens in Baltimore

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (reporting marks BO, B&O) was the oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam-operated common carrier.

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (reporting marks BO, B&O) was the oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 until 1987, when it was merged into the Chessie System. Its lines are today controlled by CSX Transportation.

Founded to serve merchants from Baltimore who wanted to do business with settlers crossing the Appalachian Mountains, the railroad competed with several existing and proposed turnpikes and canals, including the Erie and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. The railroad began operation in 1830 on a 13-mile line between Baltimore and Ellicott's Mill in Maryland. Horse-drawn cars were replaced by steam locomotives the following year.

Historical Significance

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (reporting marks BO, B&O) was the oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam-operated common carrier.

Events Before

  1. Robert Peel introduces the Metropolitan Police Act 1829 into Parliament to establish a unified police force for London,

    Robert Peel introduces the Metropolitan Police Act 1829 into Parliament to establish a unified police force for London, the city's first modern police force

  2. William Austin Burt patents America's first typewriter, the typographer

    The typographer was an early typewriter invented by William Austin Burt. Intended to aid in office work, the machine worked by using a lever to press characters onto paper one at a time.

  3. First units of the London Metropolitan Police appear on the streets of the British capital, the city's first modern poli

    First units of the London Metropolitan Police appear on the streets of the British capital, the city's first modern police force

  4. German composer Fanny Mendelssohn (23) weds German artist Wilhelm Hensel (35), until her death in 1847 [1]

    German composer Fanny Mendelssohn (23) weds German artist Wilhelm Hensel (35), until her death in 1847 [1]

  5. Britain outlaws "suttee" in India, a Hindu practice where a widow burns herself to death on her husband's funeral pyre

    Sati or suttee is a chiefly historical Hindu practice in which a widow burns alive on her deceased husband's funeral pyre, either voluntarily, by coercion, or by a perception of the lack of...

Events After

  1. Slave plantation owner Charles Farquharson begins his diary at Prospect Hill Plantation, Watlings Island (San Salvador),

    Slave plantation owner Charles Farquharson begins his diary at Prospect Hill Plantation, Watlings Island (San Salvador), the only plantation diary to survive from the Bahamas (ends Dec 1832) [1]

  2. Soldier and future Confederate General Robert E. Lee (24) marries Mary Custis (22) at Arlington House, Arlington Virgini

    Soldier and future Confederate General Robert E. Lee (24) marries Mary Custis (22) at Arlington House, Arlington Virginia

  3. "America (My Country 'Tis of Thee)" with lyrics by Samuel Francis Smith has its first public performance at Park Street

    "America (My Country 'Tis of Thee)" with lyrics by Samuel Francis Smith has its first public performance at Park Street Church in Boston, Massachusetts

  4. Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first Head of State of modern Greece, is assassinated in Nafplion

    Count Ioannis Antoniou Kapodistrias, sometimes anglicized as John Capodistrias, was a Greek statesman who was one of the most distinguished politicians and diplomats of 19th-century...

  5. Michael Faraday demonstrates his dynamo invention, an electric generator

    Michael Faraday (22 September 1791 – 25 August 1867) was an English chemist and physicist who contributed to the study of electrochemistry and electromagnetism.

More from the 1830s

Slave plantation owner Charles Farquharson begins his diary at Prospect Hill Plantation, Watlings Island (San Salvador),

Slave plantation owner Charles Farquharson begins his diary at Prospect Hill Plantation, Watlings Island (San Salvador), the only plantation diary to survive from the Bahamas (ends Dec 1832) [1]

Curaçao census: 2,602 white people, 6,531 free people, 5,894 enslaved people

Curaçao census: 2,602 white people, 6,531 free people, 5,894 enslaved people

German Zollverein (Customs Union) comes into effect

The Zollverein, or German Customs Union, was a coalition of German states formed to manage tariffs and economic policies within their territories.

First official horse race in South Australia takes place in Adelaide

Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the fifth-most populous city in Australia.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on January 7, 1830?
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (reporting marks BO, B&O) was the oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 until 1987, when it was merged into the Chessie System. Its lines are today controlled by CSX Transportation.
Why is 1st US Railroad Station opens in Baltimore significant?
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (reporting marks BO, B&O) was the oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam-operated common carrier.

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January 7 in HistoryYear 1830